Researchers at the University of Illinois looked into the qualities of leadership and identified readiness, willingness, and ability as the three qualities needed to be successful. They referred to these as the “three legs”
I have a different experience of legs.
In the header is a photo of three of my many legs.
When I was four years old my left foot was amputated at Denver Children’s Hospital. My first leg (on the left) was made by a true gentleman named Barney Simon, an amputee himself who lost his right leg in Korea, he worked at Gaines Orthopedic Appliances just up the street from the hospital. His company employed other disabled vets from the Korean and Viet Nam wars. I became a fixture in Mr. Simons office as I grew out of the limbs almost annually, thus “many” legs some of which have been repurposed as umbrella stands, doorstops, and trophies.
Barney moved on to the University of Washington as the Founding Director of the Orthopedics and Prosthetics Program, where he helped transform the industry and the lives of others. His vet colleagues were instrumental in coaching me about hunting, fishing, and swearing.
The second leg (middle) was made to fit at a time when I was taller than I am now. It was retrofitted to be a “saltwater fishing leg” as dipping thousands of dollars of metal and graphite into the ocean is dicey. It has made a difference for me in terms of my ability to wade out on the flats and not catch fish. (Cheers! Longos)
When I wear shorts, which is a lot when I am in the tropics or it is summer, people stare and make assumptions. In a trip to the Midwest I was in my hiking shorts and fighting with a diet coke can stuck in the machine. From out of the parking lot a kind man came up, bent down, and slowly bellowed at me “HIIIIII CAN IIIII HEEELLLP YOUUUUU? Certain my leg was an
indication of cognitive or hearing impairment. I said “thank you I’lllll beeee finnnnee.” These days’ people thank me for my service, which is a high compliment, but my service is limited to public agencies and classrooms, and has little to do with the leg.
So the third leg was a masterpiece of plastics, customer trust, and artistry. David Fenton didn’t laugh when I asked for a “wooden” leg. He understood the intent, and the history of people asking me if I have or had a wooden leg.
Mr. Fenton, and Elizabeth found a material to mimic wood (think plastic car siding) and crafted a masterpiece that gets both smiles and compliments, and fewer mistaken thank yous.
David, like all prosthetic and orthotic professionals in the private side of the industry, found himself in the unenviable role of fighting with the insurance company. He was my champion in working with UHC who felt my having a new leg was unnecessary even though I had lost 20 lbs.
http://www.districtamputeecarecenter.com
Being an amputee has allowed me many opportunities and some weird experiences, but overall it convinced me “Disability is not a matter of diagnosis, it is simply a matter of time.”
The rights and accommodations created by current federal law (unless repealed) have benefitted not just those who have a diagnosis but those who deliver our packages! Sidewalk cuts and ramps have reduced workplace injury for those who haul boxes to and fro, as well as skateboarders like my nephew who find the path no matter the prohibitions!
My whole life has been about readiness, willingness, and ability. When I get a new leg it is because my body has changed in weight or strength and some wise person at my insurer decides I am “ready” to get a new limb that fits. I also need to be “willing” to pay much more than I did for my first car in terms of a co-pay. Luckily I have insurance, which makes me “able” to access a limb and continue to be an active citizen.
Over the past weeks we have heard about proposals from the new administration and the GOP for a new health approach. Habilitative and rehabilitative services were one of the specifically identified essential health benefits in the ACA to be stripped out in the “replacement” legislation. 1.9 million Americans wear prostheses. That number is expected to double by 2050 due to Diabetes Type 2.
It is obvious the President and the GOP had no legs to stand on in their effort to destroy the ACA. They certainly demonstrated a lack of readiness, willingness, and ability. For that I am grateful!
