All of us at Dream Kitchens are proud to sponsor and contribute to LIMBS International in a way that is more than just writing a check.  After researching and learning more and more about how the staff at LIMBS International works in developing countries to assist amputees, Terri and I truly believe in this organization and it feels good to support in anyway possible.

I learned so much about LIMBS in the recent days and how complicated the process really is with providing amputees with proper fitting prosthetics that meet ISO standards.  I also learned that LIMBS has developed their own knee joint and the time and energy it takes to continually improve on the design.  While the initial design and functionality of the LIMBS Knee was completed in 2004, the LIMBS team is actively engaged in on-going improvements in functionality and fabrication techniques. Some often requested improvements include:

• A rounded top block that looks more like a knee cap when flexed and won’t tear up a patient’s trousers.
• A manual lock to help with stability in deep mud or sand and to reduce patient work load during extended periods of standing.

Amazing as this is the LIMBS International team are also working on the development of a pediatric knee. It’s a scaled down version of the LIMBS Knee, but will be used for small children and petite women in the developing world.

CASE STUDIES

Luis Rodriguez

One of the most convincing aspects for our support for LIMBS came from reading a long list of amazing case studies where LIMBS was involved.  Here is the story of  Luis Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic:

“Sometimes, the smallest of things can lead to the greatest problems. For Luis Rodriguez, it was a blister on his toe. Luis didn’t take care of the blister, and when it broke open it became infected. After his toe became infected, he went to the hospital for treatment. For 22 days, he received inadequate treatment, as the infection spread up his leg. Eventually, the leg became gangrenous, and doctors were forced to amputate Luis’s leg above his knee. Luis was fifty years old at the time.

Luis worked at a hotel in the Dominican Republic, but after he lost his leg, he was let go from his position. He is now 61, and has not been able to find consistent work in over a decade. Luis fears that because he is a disabled and over 60, people will not look at him the same, and that he will continue to be unemployed for the rest of his life.

Luis was fit with the LIMBS Knee in the spring of 2011. This is the first time Luis will be using a prosthetic limb; for over the past ten years Luis has used crutches. He is quickly adjusting to the mechanisms of a polycentric knee, and is gaining confidence daily. With his new leg Luis would like to start working as a telephone receptionist.”

Sufaida Bugaman

Sufaida Beguman lost her leg when she was only 4 years old. During a cyclone that swept through her village, a piece of heavy tin flew off a nearby roof and landed on her,crushing her leg. Her leg became infected due to the slow response of medical treatment, and was eventually amputated. Over the course of her life Sufaida wore a prosthetic limb fitted with the Jaipur Knee. The knee was replaced three different times, as it would wear down and break.

Sufaida was fitted in 2007 with the LIMBS Knee. She likes it more because it is much more comfortable and allows her to be more mobile. She has taken advantage of her increased mobility and entered nursing school. As of February 2010, she has completed 17 months of school, with only 5 more months remaining before she is a full nurse. When she is on duty, she has full confidence in the LIMBS Knee, allowing her to move quickly to help her different patients.

GET INVOLVED

“You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won-lost record of the referee”
- Napoleon Hill

LIMBS actively changes lives by going into the field and working to help people who need it most. As the demand for the LIMBS Knee has grown around the world, so has the need for employees, interns, fellows, and volunteers. If you are interested in finding a charity that truly helps people who are dramatically less fortunate than this is an organization for you.  Reading some of the case studies was all it took for Terri and I to find a way to contribute to people who really needed our help.  Please contact me or Terri if you would like to help and we will direct you to the people to contact.  Or, you can go directly to their website and leave a message on the contact page.

Keven Schmidt