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veteran affairs

Advocate of Hope for Fellow Veterans

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This week we remember the service of our veterans, who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free. We are grateful to those who gave their all to protect and defend our freedom at the expense of their own safety. The pride that our veterans showed when donning their uniform should be matched in the care we offer them following their service, and to honor them we thought it right to share some stories of their bravery and life after their service. Today we share military veteran and Infinite Socket user Paul Beyer’s story about how he aims to be an advocate of hope for fellow amputated veterans who choose to remain wheelchair bound.

I’m falling! There’s only one thing that I’m afraid of and that’s fear itself. I found myself afraid of falling because the prosthetic device I had didn’t work and I fell all the time. I’m a larger than life type of guy, Sniper Scout in Vietnam with a six second life expectancy, over 135 missions completed, you name it I’ve done it! The amputation really cut me down to size. Now I’m worried about falling? FALLING? The scenario desperately needed to change, so if there was something out there that could help my case, I’d embrace it and run with it.

One meeting with my prosthetist in Hawaii, and I was handed a Wired magazine. There, in the centerfold was the Infinite Socket™; I lusted after it. It looked so inviting, like somebody really cared in the production of it. I firmly believe ‘if meant to be it’s up to me,’ so I went after it and for the first time in a long while I got really excited about the prospect of having a product where my needs were put first and maybe, just maybe, I might not fall.

In Vietnam I did some pretty radical combat related things and came back home to see people judging me about what I did; it hurt. I tried to cover up the pain through my tough guy biker character until it became all too much and I couldn’t cope anymore. It wasn’t until I made a life changing decision that set me on the good road in life. It breaks my heart seeing other amputee war veterans going through the same ordeal but mentally quit. 70% of amputated veterans over the age of 60 melt into the material of their wheelchair because they follow the path of least resistance. They look at their options, rationalize them, get comfortable in their wheelchair and sustain that lonely helpless feeling.

Today, when I turn up at any VA hospital and my fellow veterans see the enthusiasm rushing through me now that I’m mobile and comfortable with myself, they begin to believe again. Sometimes people just need to be prompted and reminded that they are no different, that there is life after amputation. I want to talk to every veteran in a wheelchair out there… I want them to talk to me. A lot of people don’t have anybody anymore, and the fact that LIM Innovations has produced something that provides a hope to many immobile people goes a long way in providing a better option to life. It’s another chance.

There are people out there who are wasting away and need alternative options to start a better life. Imagine the feeling if you helped someone out and they came up to you and said “Thanks, you saved my life.” Now that’s what I’m after!

What I like about the socket is that with all the tissue and fluid fluctuation going all over the place, the ratchet actually captures it, encases it and you don’t have to worry about it. With the World Team Sport Challenge coming up Lim has given me something that I can crank on and tighten giving me all the confidence in the World to go out there and do it without my fear of falling. Time to get out of the wheelchair and back into life!

A Marine Regains Her Active Lifestyle

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This week we remember the service of our veterans, who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free. We are grateful to those who gave their all to protect and defend our freedom at the expense of their own safety. The pride that our veterans showed when donning their uniform should be matched in the care we offer them following their service, and to honor them we thought it right to share some stories of their bravery and life after their service. Today we share military veteran and Infinite Socket user Cyndi Lee’s story about her search for appropriate prosthetics that would enable her to return to the active lifestyle she once had when serving her Country.

I was an active-duty Marine in 1989, when I first tore my left meniscus. After the initial reconstructive surgery, I was deployed again until 1993. Years later in civilian life, I had several scopes and three more reconstructive surgeries on my injury before I was diagnosed with Osteolysis and had to make the single hardest decision I’ve ever had to make about the direction of my life.

After my amputation in 2011, I found it hard to adapt to life with such little activity and got into adaptive sports, most notably the ‘Valor Games,’ winning two gold and two silver medals from my wheelchair, which I had pretty much resigned myself to being in. The issue was that for each “conventional” carbon fiber and plastic sockets made, I was never able to truly get comfortable due to problems with the distal end of my limb. I wasn’t able to wear them without intense searing pain and therefore spent many days of the past five years in the chair.

About 18 months ago I saw the Infinite socket in Wired Magazine, and I tell you now it was like love at first sight. I knew it was the answer to all my issues, without even having seeing it in person. From the ratchet to loosen and tighten the socket to the cup that encloses the limb… I was sure it would be a life changer for me. Would I finally be able to get back my active life prior to amputation?

The past sockets I was only able to wear a few hours at a time and ended up with breakage of the skin and soreness for many days. With the Infinite Socket, I found myself putting my liner and leg on straight away from getting out of bed. I actually wanted to start my day!

Now I look forward to getting more “bells and whistles” applied to the knee and hope to eventually learn to walk up stairs, as I already seemed to have mastered going down, but that’s not where my ambition lies. What I would love to see is other veterans testing this socket as well! I feel it would be a great asset in allowing them to regain the lifestyle they were once accustomed to prior to amputation, and help cut down on depression/frustration of learning to deal with the conventional socket and being an amputee.

From Serving Our Nation to Serving Our Veterans

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This week we remember the service of our veterans, who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free. We are grateful to those who gave their all to protect and defend our freedom at the expense of their own safety. The pride that our veterans showed when donning their uniform should be matched in the care we offer them following their service, and to honor them we thought it right to share some stories of their bravery and life after their service. Today we share Lim Innovations employee Tristan Wyatt’s story; a past Veteran and amputee, who gave his all in battle and now works to provide the best prosthetic care to other Veterans with limb loss.

I have been a veteran and an amputee for over 12 years with the former identity quickly leading to the latter after a vicious summer in Fallujah in 2003. Over the past few years, the two identities for the most part, have been synonymous with each other as a part of my psyche. When I look at my artificial limb, I cannot help reminiscing on the long hot days in Iraq and the terrifying nights.

Similarly, my thoughts on Veterans Day always seem to include my amputation and artificial limb. Recently, I have noticed that the American psyche has connected these two identities as well in many forms. Around town, I cannot help but notice non-profit organizations’ posters and commercials calling to assist wounded service members often coupled with an amputee veteran.

Social media provides artists like photographer Michael Stokes countless ways to introduce the American mind to the idea of amputation, war and art in an intimate and inventive way. My recent favorite example is a less tasteful meme that was recently posted to my Facebook page by a fellow veteran. It reads, “I am not handicapped. It is my enemy that is handicapped, since my leg is now bulletproof,” printed over a picture of an American solider in a desert, in full combat load and sporting an artificial limb.

Naturally there are a lot of feelings that come up when I see the public making these connections. However, I must admit, I couldn’t help but feel a little pride to see the resilience, dynamism, inventiveness and humor (often at times in the face of horror), that makes our military great and lend itself to another kind of important mission.

This mission is one of awareness, unity and education of limb loss and artificial limb use. On this Veterans Day I raise my glass to our Veterans, especially those bringing awareness to amputation, and to those in the prosthetic industry that also embrace inventiveness, dynamism, resilience and humor. I was fortunate to have served in an organization that embraced those values then and I am fortunate to be a part of an organization that embraces those values now. Cheers, and happy Veterans Day!