The December 16Th Meeting Was Held at La Hacienda Ranch Where a Delicious Buffet Was Provided

Robin Burton, OPAF’s executive director. “Based on our mutual success with the 2012-2013 LLEDs, we are looking forward to another great year of opportunities and possibilities!”

Newsletter

Volume 8 Issue 12 December 2013

The December 16th meeting was held at La Hacienda www.dallasamputeenetwork.org Ranch where a delicious buffet was provided by the Hotline (972) 470-0505 DAN treasury. Sandy Seibert, Marge Eckert, and Kathy Williams signed everyone in with name badges. Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 13th, After dinner Randy Mecca welcomed everyone to the from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Spring Creek BBQ in meeting, especially first-timers Olivia Vasquez and her Richardson. The address is 270 N. Central Expressway sister, and Tony Burton who came with long-time DAN between Belt Line/Main St. and Arapaho. David member, Will Smith. We were also happy to see Jose Stevenson of HIYH Medical Service and Repairs will tell Diaz, Barbara Vaughn, Norm Tougas, Wayne Briggs, us about a new service he now provides, reflexology Hilda Buitrago, Iliana Calzada, and Chelsea Heard, therapy. Also Christiane Youngblood from Lift-Aids will long-time members who were back with us again. talk about the ways they make life easier for amputees and people with other disabilities as well. Legapalooza XXXIII will be held on February 9th, 2014 at the usual place, Milo Butterfingers in Dallas. This is Many of our members have attended and benefitted our largest fundraising project of the year and plans are from the annual Amputee Coalition conferences, held in already well in the works. Tommy Donahue, the host of various cities across the country, In 2005 the Dallas this event, brought some of the new shirts to our meeting Amputee Network hosted the national conference at the to show and to sell. We look forward to this huge annual Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, and it was a huge success. event, a day-long party of music, food, games, prizes, Next year instead of a national conference the Amputee and loads of fun for everyone. If you want to help with Coalition will sponsor a series of LLEDs in different getting new sponsors, or providing raffle prizes and cities; these regional events will enable more amputees auction items, please contact Tommy at (214) 641-6833 to participate in a “mini-conference” in their own area. or [email protected]. Please come to the January 9th meeting to learn more The Amputee Coalition is excited to be returning to the about this event and register to attend (the Dallas Great State of Texas for Limb Loss Education Day in Amputee Network will pay the $15 registration fee for Dallas, to be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the amputees only). Lunch is provided. Bachman Therapeutic Recreational Center. This is a full When: Saturday, January 25, 2014, 9:00am-4:00pm day of education, recreation and inspiration offered to all Where: Bachman Therapeutic Recreation Center amputees and their families at a very low cost. 2750 Bachman Drive, Dallas, TX 75220 “ Limb Loss Education Day strives to connect the limb loss community with facilities and local adaptive sports Pre-register for the Dallas event by January 23. organizations that will continue the educational and recreational momentum for the limb loss community,” Many Thanks To Our 2013 Sponsors: said Lar’Juanette Williams, the Coalition’s education and Strobel & Associates Prosthetics, Inc. marketing manager. “Connecting with facilities such as Plano (972) 516-9538 Bachman Center serves as a conduit, as it has provided Tommy Donahue’s Legapalooza Benefit sports and activities for people with mental, emotional Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc. and physical disabilities for more than 30 years, and it is Dallas, Garland, Plano (972) 226-6496 the only facility of its kind in Dallas.” Excell Orthotics & Prosthetics Denton (940) 243-4198 In addition to two spectacular educational sessions that Doug Brooks, Limbs for Life Board Member will be presented, the Orthotic & Prosthetic Activities M-Power Prosthetics and Orthotics Foundation (OPAF) will present First Swim, featuring Dallas (214) 265- 5060 world champion triathlete Mabio Costa! Synergy Orthotics & Prosthetics "OPAF is pleased to once again partner with the Plano (972) 769-8344 Amputee Coalition to bring a variety of our First Clinics Advanced Arm Dynamics of Texas, LLC to the amputee population across the country,” said Dallas (214) 260-3197 Scott Sabolich Prosthetics & Research memories were formed to last a lifetime. We ate Dallas, Oklahoma City (877) 226-5424 delicious Jamaican beef patties back on board and Lift-Aids, Inc. Euless (817) 835-0035 delighted in each other's company. ALLTECH O&P – Burleson, Granbury (972) 709-6070 Suh-Jen Lin, PT, PhD TWU School of Physical Therapy Our accessible shore excursions culminated with a stop United Access – Garland (972) 240-8839 in Cozumel where we visited Dophinarias and swam Reliant Prosthetics – Richardson (972) 470-0300 with the dolphins. It is safe to say that this was the highlight of the cruise for many. Our own Randy Mecca is a professional vocalist who Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas will be traveling has been asked to sing the national anthem at many to Alaska June 27-July 4. It is currently full but you may races and ballgames. He’s produced several CDs of get on a waiting list in case there’s a cancellation. We Christmas songs and holiday favorites, some of which are also offering two small group land trips. A trip to were given to our sponsors as a thank-you for their Ireland May 13, 2014 and an adventure trip to Ecuador support. Everyone was in a festive mood at the party in October, 2014. and Randy led us in singing many requested songs by the group, and he knew all of them, even all the lyrics! Contact me at (800) 920-8989 or (951) 549-9325 for Some people provided harmony and it was a very more information about these trips. You may also reach entertaining and fun way to end the evening. This was me at [email protected]. Or check out our the last meeting of another successful year of amputees website: www.easyaccesstravel.com. helping each other, with programs and speakers who inspired, informed and motivated us to live fuller lives. Debra Kerper- Easy Access Travel We hope to be even more active in 2014, and we Cruise Planners/American Express Franchise Owner welcome suggestions from our membership for ways to make our support group more effective and interesting. News from Dallas Amputee Network West Cruise News This month marks the beginning of our second year in Debra Kerper of Easy Access Travel Agency has been Santa Fe, New Mexico. I find it to be a lot like the DFW organizing cruises for people with disabilities for a long area except Santa Fe is a little smaller (about 99% less time and is a regular contributor to the national Amputee population), a little drier (about 65% less rain), a little Coalition’s magazine, inMotion. She just came back from higher altitude (about 1300% higher), a little less flat (I the latest cruise and told us what a wonderful experience can look out my windows and see mountains) and it was. Here’s the write-up in her newsletter: considerably more liberal. Well maybe it really isn't like DFW at all, except I do find people to be as friendly The 2nd Amputee Coalition Cruise, Dec. 8-15, 2013 on here as they were in north Texas! board Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of The Seas was a huge success! Old friendships were renewed and new The DAN website and email duties keep me in touch friendships were formed from the moment we all with the group. I still like claiming to be the DAN Chief gathered. We were 48 strong and a fantastic time was Technology Officer but I've recently discovered a small had by all. Our cruise began with a pre-cruise dinner at support group in Albuquerque. They have a hard time Fish Tales in Galveston, a night at Four Points by believing that anyone would drive over fifty miles for a Sheraton and then transfer to the ship. During the week meeting, but I tell them it's not much different than we visited Falmouth, Jamaica, and enjoyed a special driving from Garland to Fort Worth; heck, I've been day at Cornwall Beach where staff paid excellent known to drive farther for good barbeque. And as an attention to all of us; they reserved chaise lounges and aside, although Santa Fe cuisine is truly wonderful and helped us get into and out of the beautiful blue waters. I now love green chile, the only good barbeque around here comes out of my smoker; take that, Cowgirl BBQ! After frolicking in the ocean, we enjoyed a delicious Jamaican lunch! The following day found us in Grand I haven't seen a prosthetist since I left Texas. Otto Cayman where we left the ship via accessible roll-off Bock says there are only two prosthetists in the entire tenders (transports boat to shore). All mobility devices state that have delivered at least five Harmony legs in including scooters and wheelchairs (manual & power) the last three years and both are in the same Hanger were easily accommodated. We boarded wheelchair- office in Albuquerque; I guess I'll be interviewing them accessible buses and off we went to visit the Turtle Farm before too long. If that doesn't work out, I think I can where our group was the first to arrive that morning, so still come back to visit Carol Garrison at O&P Designs we had lots of private time with the turtles! We then as a long distance client. headed out to where our large boat was waiting to take us to Stingray City. This was amazing! One by one we After working from home for the first eight or nine entered the clear aqua water by the sandbar that is months (I did NOT miss driving the Bush Turnpike and home to the famous Grand Cayman stingrays. As we the Dallas North Tollway every day) I finally gave it all held on to a surfboard, our hosts let us hold, pet and kiss up last summer and retired (again). However there has the stingrays. Faces hurt from smiling so much and been so much to do around the house that I'm just now 2 finding a little time for the photography I had planned. I do miss seeing all y'all once a month and will be sure to stop in at any DAN meeting when I'm in town again. But unless I come back to have Carol make a new prosthesis, that probably won't be anytime soon. For now, I'm having way too much fun in New Mexico!

Dan Johnsen, Webmaster & Chief Technology Officer