INOVA Foundation Donation Form vs ASGNVA Donation Form. Should we create our own donation form or use the INOVA Foundation donation form, putting a check mark in the Other block and writing in Fund 352 (which is the Amputee Support Group)?	The INOVA Foundation donation form was passed around the room and we determined that we should use it and just check mark the Other box and write in Fund 352 on all donation forms that we hand out.
ASGNVA Checking Account. Has the ASGNVA checking account been closed and the money been put in the INOVA Foundation Fund 352?	Not yet; the account was archived. But Daphne’s working on it. She has a Foundation donation form and will send the money to Fund 352 ASAP.
Civitan Group of Arlington.David Winter, Susan’s dad, is a Civitan Group of Arlington member. He asked if Irv Axelrod would be able to speak to his group; they may be a source of contributions.	David Winter did not give Irv his phone number and he has not contacted Irv either.
Other Support Group Meeting Times.At the March meeting, a member had an idea for some kind of card, with a listing of the local support groups, for ASGNVA members to distribute to amputees they encounter.	Since we need business cards anyway, Beth brought a template of the ASGNVA business card with the local support group meetings on the back; it was not very readable with all the information. It was decided that only the support group name, location and phone number will be listed; another sample will be provided at the May meeting for approval.
ASGNVA Bowling.Are we still going to have bowling on Saturday at Ft. Myer?	No-accessible lanes are broken. And no one seems very interested; Irv hasn’t gotten a call for months.
Finances of ASGNVA.Fact finding report to the group.	·ASGNVA members approved all expenses paid by the Foundation. ·Beth Harris is the finance liaison with INOVA Foundation since she is already on the vendor list (requested by INOVA).
Expenses of ASGNVA.Fact finding report to the group.	·New Amputee Information Packets (copying and Postage ($3.85 for Priority Mail Flat Rate-lowest)) ·Newsletters (copying and postage)  ·Brochures (copying)  ·Business Cards (copying)  ·Supplies (very little-envelopes, labels, etc.)  ·Social Events (if any-none planned at this time)
Newsletters. This is a money hog. To minimize our expenses, should we: Email to members with email (saves postage)?Shorten the newsletter (saves on copying)?Publish the newsletter on a bimonthly or quarterly basis?Accept advertisers?	We determined that, by emailing the newsletter to all members with valid email accounts, the savings gained would be so substantial that we don’t even need to look at any of the other options at this time.
Donations.This was a brainstorming session on ideas to generate donations. We have received only 1 donation from our request for donations in the February newsletter.	·Restaurants donate % on a certain night (PJ Skidoos, Fuddruckers, Unos) ·“Annual Giving” campaign  ·Send letter/brochure/donation letter to area orthopedic surgeons, prosthetic houses, etc.
Dues.	Tabled – see discussion on Newsletters.
Sponsorships/Advertisements.	Tabled – see discussion on Newsletters.
Re-Election of Officers. Per our bylaws, election of officers was supposed to occur in April. No provisions have been made for this to occur (past or present).	This matter is tabled until the restructure of officers is complete.
Re-Structure of Officers.It seems silly to have a President and Vice President, Treasurer (we don’t have any money), etc.What we need is a Meeting Coordinator, Secretary, Visitation Coordinator, etc.	We determined that there should be no difference in “Officers” and “Coordinators” in rank.We will abolish the “Officers” and re-align the “Coordinator” positions to include all tasks.
Questionnaire to the Membership.Should we send a questionnaire out to the membership asking what they want from us?	Yes, Yes, Yes.We want members input (and help).Maybe, if we provide a questionnaire that’s good enough, they’ll answer it.

So, unfortunately, it was mostly a business meeting.But I think we’re moving in the right direction.At present, our focus is on New Amputee Information Packets (and getting them to new amputees) and getting the newsletter out to our members.We did end the meeting with asking how everyone was and seeing if anyone had anything to discuss or any questions to ask.Maybe now that the business stuff is out of the way, we can get back to the business of supporting our amputees.

News and Announcements

New Light Technology Helps Increase Circulation For Diabetics, Others

Most of us take walking for granted. 

If you have neuropathy, it's a real problem. It's an insidious complication of diabetes that's a major cause of foot wounds and amputations. Think of it as nerve damage. 

Shirl Crawford of Chesapeake has been a diabetic for two years. She's getting treatment at Therapy Concepts in Suffolk, which offers the Anodyne light therapy. It involves the use of light-emitting diodes strapped on the skin. 

Pads of LED's are placed on the feet or hands and they're connected to a black box. 

"This light is set at a wavelength which is 890 nanometers and it penetrates about five centimeters through the hand or wherever you're applying it," said Robbie Lindsay, Anodyne sales director. 

To understand how infrared light passes through tissue, hold a flashlight up to your hand just like you used to do when you were a kid. 

Research indicates the light helps cells release nitric oxide in blood vessels, causing them to dilate, which improves circulation. 

"In all honesty, I was very skeptical whether it was really going to work," said Brian Stisser, a Riverside physical therapist. 

Stisser tried the treatment for another problem caused by neuropathy- loss of balance. 

"They can't feel in their feet and so they can't tell where their foot is in space," he explained. 

Jean Fisher of Newport News has balance problems. She says the treatments and physical therapy are helping her a lot. 

Supporters of light therapy don't claim it's a cure and they admit results are temporary. 

"The sensation we have gained may diminish in four to six months. That's why they receive a home unit," Lindsay said. 

Colleen Hitt of Suffolk says her sensitivity was virtually gone in two treatments. "My feet were so sensitive on the tops of my toes I couldn't even put a blanket on my feet." 

Shirl Crawford is noticing the same thing. 

"I can tell the difference in my feet now in just the seven or eight treatments I've had." 

The cost varies for Anodyne treatment. It averages about $60 a session, depending on whether you're covered by Medicare or insurance. A sliding fee scale may be offered. 

Society of Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) - SATH is an educational non-profit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and abroad.Members include travel professionals, consumers with disabilities and other individuals and corporations who support their mission.For more information, contact SATH at 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610, New York, NY 10016, Telephone 212-447-7284, Fax 212-725-8253, email sathtravel@aol.com, web site www.sath.org.

Member Updates

Tom Scott – I called and sent him an email and he didn’t respond so I have no new news on Tom.I hope all is going well with him.

Daphne Burroughs – Daphne was able to attend the meeting this month.She is just two weeks on her new prostheses and is also going to work full time.So she’s getting back into the swing of things.

Beth Harris – Beth was also able to attend the meeting this month.She is recovering nicely from her recent surgery.Unfortunately (or fortunately), she’s lost a lot of weight and now her prosthesis doesn’t fit any more.You know how it goes…if it isn’t one thing it’s another.So now she’s working on that – whew!

Joyce Hawes – Joyce sent me the first donation for our support group.Thanks, Joyce!She also sent me information on the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) that I have included in the Services and Products section.

William Carter – William is currently in therapy with his new prosthesis.Perhaps sometime soon we’ll see him at a meeting.

Scheduled Events

‰Place:Fredericksburg, VA, Cannon Ridge Golf Club

‰Wednesday, June 2, 2004 – Training Seminar for Rehab Professionals and Golf Pros, 8:30 am – 12:00

‰Wednesday, June 2, 2004 – “Learn to Golf” Clinic for Golfers with Disabilities, Rehab Therapists and Golf Pros, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm

‰For More Information:Greg Wright, CP, US Orthotics & Prosthetics, 30 Town & Country Dr., Suite 103, Fredericksburg, VA, 22405, 800-333-4102, gwright011@aol.com.

Monthly Meeting – The next monthly meeting is May 4, 2004.

 

May
						1
2  Helmut Bernat	3	4 ASGNVA Meeting	5	6 Joan Pressler	7	8
9  Mother’s Day	10	11  Winchester ASG Meeting /Kessler ASG Mtg / Fredericksburg ASG Mtg	12 Jeff Schaffer	13  Michael Ferguson & Joyce Hawes	14	15  William Carter
16	17	18  WAA Meeting Roby Sheppard	19	20	21	22
23	24  Charles Gordon	25 Patrick Dolan	26	27  Georgetown ASG Meeting	28	29
30  Minor Twyman	31  Memorial Day	1 ASGNVA Meeting	2	3	4	5

Washington Amputee Association– National Rehabilitation Hospital, 102 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC, Ground Floor Dining Room (rear section, near the windows and behind the partition), 3^RD Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30 pm.Contact Roy Dwyer (301-897-2816), Angela Jones (301-794-0183) or Becky Lehman, RT/NRH, 202-877-1578, rebekahlehman@juno.com 

Georgetown University Hospital– 4^TH Thursday of every month, 7:30-9:00 pm, Martin Marietta Conference Room, Lombardi Cancer Center, Entrance 1 (park in the Levey Center; handicap parking available; transit access can drop off/pick up at this location. Call 202-444-8037 and leave a message.

Kessler Adventist Group– Second Thursday of the month, 6:00-8:00 pm, 2nd floor, Kessler Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital, 9909 Medical Center Dr, Rockville, MD.Call 240-864-6196.

Kernan Hospital Group – 3^rd Wednesday of the month, 6:00-8:00 pm, Room G604, Kernan Hospital, 2200 Kernan Dr., Gwynn Oak, MD.Contact Mark Senker at 410-581-7027 for more information.

Winchester Amputee Support Group – 2^nd Tuesday of the month, 5:30-6:30 pm, Conference Room, 2^nd floor, Winchester Rehabilitation Center, 333 W. Cork St, Winchester, VA.Contact Christie Augustine, 540-536-5113.

Fredericsksburg Amputee Support Group – 2^nd Tuesday of the month, 7:00-9:00 pm, The disAbility Resource Center, 409 Progress Street, Fredericksburg, VA.Contact Greg Wright, 540-899-2655 or 800-333-4102.

By Esthar Schrader, Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- The physical therapists on the fifth floor of Walter Reed Army Medical Center have a bulletin board they call their Wall of Heroes. It is crammed with photos of young soldiers in their care -- soldiers wounded in the war in Iraq.

The images of the amputees and burn victims stand out, a tragic irony of an important advance in military protective gear.

The new armored vests that soldiers are wearing in this war protect the human torso and have saved countless lives, but often at a terrible price. One day last week, all but 20 of the 250 beds at the center were taken up with casualties of the war. Fifty of them have lost limbs, often more than one. Dozens more suffer burns and shrapnel wounds that begin where their armored vests ended. On average, they are 23 years old.

Many would have died except for their Kevlar vests, which stopped rounds from a Kalashnikov rifle, a 9-millimeter handgun or fragments from a grenade. There have been more wounded -- and over a longer period -- than the hospital expected.

"We didn't start [the bulletin board] when the war began because we didn't have any idea," said Maj. Mary Hannah, a physical therapist. "Even the most experienced people here -- it is beyond their imagining. These are our babies. And they just keep coming, coming, coming."

As the U.S.-led coalition forces battle an increasingly fierce insurgency in Iraq, the military's medical system is waging its own war -- and Walter Reed, its premier medical center, is in the thick of it.

The world-renowned teaching and research hospital, which opened in 1909, has treated presidents and senators. More than a dozen survivors of the Chinook helicopter shot down by insurgents in Iraq Nov. 2 were carried in on stretchers. They entered a hospital transformed over the past seven months by the first big wave of combat casualties since the Vietnam War.

Since April, when the first casualties began arriving, more than 1,875 have been treated at Walter Reed, an average of about 10 a day, 300 a month.

"The number is big to me now, bigger than anything I've seen since Vietnam," said Jim Mayer, 57, who lost both legs in that war and now volunteers at the hospital helping amputees. "When we see each other here, me and the other volunteers, our line to each other is, 'They just keep coming and coming.' "

The grounds at Walter Reed are crammed with recuperating soldiers and their families. There are so many spouses, parents and children that the more than 600 rooms in guest houses on the hospital grounds are not enough to hold them. Some are doubling up in single rooms. Hundreds are staying, at Pentagon expense, in hotels nearby.

At least one mother has finagled a bed down the hall from her son's hospital room.

"I have to," says Joyce Gray, mother of Roy, an Army corporal whose leg was torn open by a mortar round, "my son has nightmares."

"I don't think this is going to go away," said Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Kiley, an obstetrician and gynecologist by training who is commander of the hospital. "Our people are pedaling as hard and fast as they can. We can do this for a long time. But at some point, if there's no letup, the casualty demand will have to start affecting what Walter Reed is."

In 2002, after the United States went to war in Afghanistan, Congress allocated $13 million to Walter Reed to establish what the hospital calls the Amputee Center of Excellence. The unit was up and running just in time. These days, its prosthetics lab is busy scanning stumps of limbs using digital laser technology, then using computerized machines to fashion sockets to fit over them.

Pfc. Tristan Wyatt, 21, tried on his titanium and graphite leg for the first time. A rocket had severed his limb and those of the two soldiers standing next to him in Fallujah on Aug. 25.

"The rocket went through my leg like a knife through butter," Wyatt said. "There was just blood and muscle everywhere."

But Wyatt said the sheer numbers of patients like him at Walter Reed, many of them already learning to walk proficiently on their new prostheses, is heartening.

"It's hard to see your comrades hurt, but there are a lot of people here farther down the line with the same injuries," Wyatt said. "It definitely gives you hope."

By Angie Cannon

Even when the politicians were declaring victory, the medical staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., knew that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were far from over. "Air-vacs" continue to ferry ill and injured soldiers from U.S. military hospitals abroad to Andrews Air Force Base, where they are whisked to Walter Reed in buses converted to ambulances. The smiles and hugs captured by TV cameras are absent. This is a sober homecoming.

Walter Reed has cared for more than 800 patients from the back-to-back wars, including nearly 180 combat and more than 630 noncombat injuries and illnesses. Some soldiers have lost limbs. Some have lost the use of their hands after being shot. Some have spinal or head injuries. Many suffer from psychological trauma.

Military hospitals don't release data on deaths, the procedures they perform, or other statistics that offer insight into quality. So these hospitals, however good, cannot be evaluated and perhaps ranked in "America's Best Hospitals."

Yet they bear an unusual burden. Like their civilian counterparts, military hospitals treat diseases and grapple with vexing realities like shortages of nurses. But they must also be nimble, prepared to suddenly lose large contingents of staffers deployed to fight a war. And they cope with grievous combat injuries, mostly unknown in civilian hospitals. The best military hospitals arguably stand shoulder to shoulder with top academic centers in terms of training and research. If the measure is time and resources devoted to patients, they're out front.

Walter Reed is considered by many at the Pentagon to be the crown jewel in the 75-hospital military system. That's mostly because of its attention to patients and their families, in particular the orthopedic treatment and rehabilitation of returning soldiers. The hospital also emphasizes preventive medicine, because most of its patients will be in the military medical system for the rest of their lives. And almost everyone there speaks of something else: the shared values of military doctors and nurses taking care of military people.

For the staff at Walter Reed, it's all about returning patients to their missions. "Our goal is to say, 'We will help you go as far as you want to go,' " says Col. David Polly Jr., chief of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. "We will try to help them function at the highest level." That's a big change from years past, when a doctor might have soberly observed, "You know, son, you've lost a leg"–implying the patient had better narrow his horizons. Today, a soldier is much more likely to hear: "Your life is not over. It's just going to be different."

Typically, Walter Reed, a complex that sprawls across 113 acres far from the downtown monuments, is in the public eye when a congressman or commander is treated there. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and Gen. George Marshall were patients in their final days. Ronald Reagan had hand surgery there when he was president. The late Strom Thurmond, South Carolina's longtime Republican senator, lived there when he was ailing last year. But Walter Reed is there primarily to care for active-duty military members, retirees, and their families–potentially more than 8 million people. Those who work at the hospital insist that rank doesn't matter. "A private and a cabinet member all get the same care," says Lt. Col. Paul Pasquina, chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Walter Reed is a top-notch teaching hospital. And it's a research center, with projects in areas as diverse as hepatitis, prostate and breast cancers, aids, and Persian Gulf illnesses. "Walter Reed is as good as any hospital in the world," says Dale Smith of the medical history department at the Uniformed Services University, which trains many military doctors. The hospital takes pride in its score of 97 out of 100 in the latest survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, hospitals' major accrediting body.

Walter Reed General Hospital admitted its first patients in 1909. It had just 80 beds then and was named for the modest Army doctor who proved that yellow fever–one of the most dreaded diseases of the time–was spread by mosquitoes. In World War I, the number of beds mushroomed to more than 2,500, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers came through in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Some 1,000 beds were in use during the Persian Gulf War. In the mid-1990s, Walter Reed, like civilian hospitals, moved toward preadmission tests, same-day surgery, and outpatient diagnosis, and the number of beds dwindled to around 200.

But for the past year and a half, it has been bustling again, treating wounded soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq–while having some 200 of its own doctors and nurses suddenly deployed to care for soldiers at the front.

Sgt. 1st Class Scott Barkalow, 40, is one of those soldier-patients. He's a special-operations reservist from Dickson, Tenn., west of Nashville. His day job is driving a CSX freight train, but in February 2003, he was patrolling in eastern Afghanistan when his truck hit an antitank mine. His face was cut badly. His left leg was broken. And he awoke from the blast to realize that his right leg was gone. "There's no use crying over spilled milk," says Barkalow, who wants to go back to his railroad job.

Compassion. After they got the call at their Tennessee homes, Barkalow's wife and parents headed for the imposing hospital complex. They were immediately impressed by the staff's compassion and competence. "The doctors were terribly committed," says his mother, Ann. "He had people following him around and checking on him daily. I don't think he would have gotten that close scrutiny in a civilian hospital." Back home, one physician returned their call at 5:30 a.m. At the close of the conversation, says Barkalow's mother, the doctor said emphatically, "You can call me anytime." It was, she says, "very reassuring."

To aid families like the Barkalows, Walter Reed has an active Family Assistance Center that helps with lodging and meals. Unlike civilian hospitals, Walter Reed also has a Red Cross representative. Barbara Green, the Red Cross station manager, and her 300-plus volunteers help families resolve all kinds of issues–and greet every returning soldier with phone cards, magazines, cookies, and toiletries.

The strapping Barkalow works hard in his twice-daily physical therapy sessions and is quickly learning how to walk on his artificial leg. He has had at least 15 surgeries so far at Walter Reed. "The doctors and nurses have been exceptional," he says. "They stay after you to do your exercises." A key "they" is physical therapist Barbara Birnesser, who works with all the amputees. She knows their adjustment will be huge and talks to them in her initial visits about how things will go. "One minute, you are a fit soldier," she says. "The next, you don't have one foot or both."

At the direction of Congress, last year Walter Reed spent nearly $3 million on an Amputee Center of Excellence to provide state-of-the-art care for young, healthy amputees. War injuries are different from motor vehicle accidents. A land mine, for instance, blows soft tissue up and out, creating a wider injured area. Doctors stress the importance of cleaning the wound, to avoid infection. The most critical cleaning takes place close to the battlefield, but Walter Reed doctors also are using a mix of bone cement and germicide rolled by hand into "antibiotic beads." The porous cement allows the medication to seep out gradually, at a higher dose than might be tolerated if pumped into a vein. Several beads are put on a string–the result resembles a gaudy, fake-pearl necklace–and packed into a wound, which is closed with a few loops of coarse sutures. Every few days, the wound is reopened and another string of beads put in place.

Walter Reed also has a new digital laser that scans the stump of a limb. A computer-driven milling machine then fashions a socket to fit over the stump, forming a base for the prosthesis. The big advantage: speed and precision, which doctors believe means a better fit, fewer adjustments to the prosthesis, and lower costs.

Doctors at the Amputee Center teamed up with the Amputee Coalition of America, a nonprofit support group, and consulted with their experts about rehabbing young amputees and establishing a program in which other young amputees counsel them. "All amputees experience psychological grief, especially young, virile males," says David Polly. "They worry: 'Can I still get a date?' 'Can I still be a husband?' " Counseling helps them reorient their sense of self and begin the climb back. "The message," says Polly, "is, 'You still have values and worth. You still have a life–let's get to it.' "

Lost limbs aren't the only difficult war injury. Bullet wounds have left some soldiers unable to use their hands. Staff Sgt. Tarik Jackson was part of the 507th Maintenance Company, which took a wrong turn in southern Iraq and was ambushed. Jackson, 28, was shot four times–in his thigh, finger, hip, and upper arm, where the wound damaged the radial nerve, which signals the muscles that move the wrist and hand. He does physical therapy several times a week to regain hand movement and may be in treatment until 2004. Although he is far from his family in Florida, Jackson says he wouldn't want to be at any other hospital. "It's from one soldier to another soldier here," he says.

Capt. Stacie Caswell, one of the hospital's occupational therapists, fashioned a curved, hard plastic splint, adorned with two American flag stickers, that runs from knuckles to forearm and allows Jackson to grip objects while his nerve regenerates. In an "apartment" called Fort Independence, patients relearn skills they'll need at home: how to send E-mail, make a bed, wash clothes, bake a cake, take a shower.

Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the famous young POW from West Virginia, was also in Jackson's 507th unit. She has been recovering at Walter Reed, where she arrived April 12 after her rescue from an Iraqi hospital. Lynch's injuries were extensive–a broken right upper arm, two broken ribs, three broken bones in her back, a broken upper and lower left leg, a broken right foot, and a large laceration on her scalp. A team of nurses, occupational and physical therapists, nutritionists, specialists, mental health professionals, and physicians has overseen her care. "Her spirit is fabulous," says her physician, Lt. Col. Greg Argyros. "Her will and courage have contributed greatly to her recovery."

In the mornings, Lynch, now 20, does physical therapy–walking on a treadmill, climbing stairs. In the afternoons, she does occupational therapy, painfully relearning how to brush her teeth and hair. She has made a birthday cake for her mother and a wallet for her father, and cupcakes, moccasins, and a belt, in part to train her to use her left hand in place of her injured right arm. Her goal, says her doctor, is to return to military life.

Walter Reed also copes with home-front challenges. After the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon, many locally stationed military members had trouble sleeping and performing normal daily activities. The possibility of being deployed to war multiplied the stress and anxiety. "Everyone's lives were turned upside down and we helped get them back to order," explains Lt. Patrice Stange, an occupational therapist who has run inpatient group therapy sessions.

And the center has a new focus on chronic conditions. After Congress designated breast and prostate cancers as treatment and investigational priorities, Walter Reed opened the Army's only breast cancer center, in August 2001. There, researchers are looking for nongenetic factors that lead to the disease, searching for a protein marker, and working on a vaccine. But the center was also designed to serve patients' emotional and practical needs. The waiting area is a comforting lavender, and the reception desk is low to accommodate those in wheelchairs. Women undergoing procedures can watch soothing videos (although one 18-year-old brought in a video of an 'N Sync concert) on a ceiling-mounted plasma screen. And newly diagnosed breast cancer patients meet with all of their providers, from radiologists to therapists, on a single day instead of having to visit several facilities and too often receiving conflicting advice.

The center's very existence reflects changing demographics: Nearly 14% of the active-duty force is female, up from 10% as recently as a decade ago–and some 90% of active-duty men are married. "We look upon women's health as a readiness issue," says center director Col. Craig Shriver, chief of general surgery.

Time and money. Doctors at taxpayer-supported Walter Reed aren't hemmed in by insurance limits, so they can spend time with patients–unthinkable in the managed-care world. Nor does the clock start ticking as soon as a patient is admitted. "We don't have the same financial constraints," says Col. Jonathan Jaffin, who oversees day-to-day care at Walter Reed. "We don't need to worry about whether a patient has exceeded his or her stay or whether they've gotten pre-approval."

Which is not to say that Walter Reed is an island of tranquility. Like most hospitals, it grapples with a chronic nursing shortage. And it must fight to retain its doctors, who earn a lot less than their civilian counterparts. (The military medical system faces relentless pressure to cut costs.) "There's constant tension between being frugal with tax dollars and providing the quality we want to provide," says Maj. Gen. Kevin Kiley, commander of Walter Reed and of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command.

At Walter Reed, doctors and nurses all talk about their respect for their patients, whose experiences are a window on history. There are elderly Pearl Harbor survivors and an amputee from the Korean War. Others have stories from Vietnam and World War II.

That creates a special relationship. "They have put their lives on the line out there, and we will make sure they get the very best care possible," says Col. Billie Mielcarek, chief of physical therapy. Patients and caregivers, she believes, share the same values. "It's like being part of something much bigger," she says. "In the civilian sector, you might not see the same attitude. Here people know they are part of something."

FYou have the right to be treated with respect and dignity at all times.

FYou have the right to fire your prosthetic provider at any time.

FYou have the right to choose who your provider will be.

FYou have the right to challenge any decisions made regarding your prosthesis and its components.

FYou have the right to a properly fitted, comfortable prosthesis.

FYou have the right to voice your opinion and ask questions regarding your amputation, your prosthetist and your prosthesis.

FYou have the right to challenge the payment of your prostheses if it is incomplete, does not fit or is unsuitable.

Phantom pain is real; most amputees feel its effects in some form. For some it's a minor irritation, for others it's as painful as giving birth. Searching the Internet, I found tons of information about phantom pain and many ways in which to relieve it. There is a difference between 'phantom sensations' and 'phantom pain'. Phantom sensations can feel like an itch you can't scratch, or the feeling that you can wiggle your toes. Caution should be used at this time as you could accidentally take a step thinking your leg is still there. Phantom pain is the opposite. It is an extremely painful experience. It can begin like a cramp and steadily increase in intensity. Or it can hit you without any warning. This has happened to me many times. For some, putting ice on your stump will relieve the pain, walking, moving about will also help eliminate some of it. If the pain is too much to deal with, immediately consult your physician. There are medications to help deal with this painful process. -- J. De Long-LadyAmp

Thursday, Mar 25, 2004
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD/Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE - A hiker with a battery-powered, bionic leg suffered his first setback just days into his quest to walk the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

Scott Rogers learned that even if he completes the seven- to eight-month journey, which fewer than one in five hikers who try each year achieve, he won't be the first amputee to conquer the trail.

"It sure blows the wind out," a stunned Rogers, 35, said when told by The Associated Press that another hiker did it in 1992.

Yet Rogers, who started the hike Monday, resolved to press on. "I am still going to do it," he said.

"Forget them, anyway," he said of the record keepers at the Appalachian Trail Conference, which had said he would be the trail's first amputee.

Among those pulling for him is Carl Moon of Elberton, Ga., credited as the first amputee to conquer the trail some 12 years ago.

"Tell him, never give up," Moon, 42, said Wednesday. "To be able to complete it all, for anybody, is an achievement - two legs, one leg, blind or what not."

Brian King, spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., confirmed that Moon was the first amputee hiker. He rechecked the records after receiving an email about Moon from trail guidebook author Dan Bruce of Conyers, Ga., late Tuesday.

"I was working here at the time, but I don't think anyone mentioned it or I would have remembered," King said, reflecting the informal nature of an Appalachian Trail tally that counts some 6,000 "thru-hikers" since the trail began in the 1920s.

"It is an honorable achievement on its own. It doesn't need to be a first or anything," said Bruce, more interested in not forgetting Moon's achievement than worried Rogers was seeking undue credit.

"I hope he will be able to come back and find reasons for doing this other than being the first to do it. It is just as inspiring," Bruce said of Rogers.

Rogers, a former paramedic from Washburn, Tenn., who lost his left leg above the knee in a 1998 hunting accident, walks with a high-tech, microprocessor-controlled "C-leg." The hike is a personal goal, not for glory, he says.

"When I started this I didn't know I would be the first," Rogers said before he left. He complained about the "little added pressure" the attention brought him but expressed hope his celebrity might motivate others.

Moon had similar motives when he set out on March 3, 1991, from Springer Mountain, Ga. He had completed the trail the first time in 1987 with two good legs. The 1991 trek came after losing his right foot to cancer.

Moon's 1991 trip was a grueling test, according to his report to the Appalachian Trail conference. Blisters from an artificial leg less sophisticated than Rogers' forced Moon off the trail for a month while he recovered after reaching the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.

The leg would later break twice and he was caught in frigid weather as the weeks dragged on. While Rogers hopes to finish by November, Moon spent Christmas on the trail and didn't finish until Jan. 25, 1992.

"I believe I had more fun on my first trip," Moon wrote. "But doing it on the artificial leg. And making it through all the pain and suffering, gave me a much greater reward."

Moon said the only thing tougher would have been to stop.

"No matter what he goes through while he is out there, however painful it gets or how down he gets, that will be nothing compared to if he quits," Moon said. "Because I have talked to people that gave it up, and it has haunted them for years."On the Net:Scott Rogers: http://www.onelegwonder.com
 

Where do we go from here?

Housing Program

Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Grants are funded directly by the Government.  A grant is available to dwelling owner/occupant who is 62 years of age or older.  Funds may only be used for repairs or improvements to remove health and safety hazards, or to complete repairs to make the dwelling accessible for household members with disabilities.   The amount of the grant is based on the applicant's ability to repay and must be used in conjunction with the Repair and Rehabilitation Loan.   The lifetime maximum grant amount is $7,500.

Purpose: The Very Low-Income Housing Repair program provides loans and grants to very low-income homeowners to repair, improve, or modernize their dwellings or to remove health and safety hazards. 

Eligibility:To obtain a loan, homeowner-occupants must be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere and must have very low incomes, defined as below 50 percent of the area median income. They must need to make repairs and improvements to make the dwelling more safe and sanitary or to remove health and safety hazards. Grants are only available to homeowners who are 62 years old or older and cannot repay a Section 504 loan. 

Terms:Loans of up to $20,000 and grants of up to $7,500 are available. Loans are for up to 20 years at 1 percent interest. A real estate mortgage is required for loans of $2,500 or more. Full title services are required for loans of $7,500 or more. Grants may be recaptured if the property is sold in less than three years. Grant funds may be used only to pay for repairs and improvements resulting in the removal of health and safety hazards. A grant/loan combination is made if the applicant can repay part of the cost. Loans and grants can be combined for up to $27,500 in assistance. 

Standards: Repaired properties do not need to meet other RHS code requirements, but the installation of water and waste systems and related fixtures must meet local health department requirements. Water supply and sewage disposal systems should normally meet RHS requirements. Not all the health and safety hazards in a home must be removed with Section 504 funds, provided that major health and safety hazards are removed. All work must meet local codes and standards. 

Approval:The Rural Development County Supervisor should make a decision on an application within 30 to 60 days of receiving it if no backlog exists.