Our New Normal!
“Helping Others Discover and Live an Unlimited Lifestyle.”
Welcome to our new Dankmeyer blog!! My name is Dawn Miranda, and I am a new amputee of only three years (12/2/2016). I hope this blog page will answer your questions, uplift you through education, and inspire hope that we will get to our new normal together.
This month let’s talk about Coronavirus (COVID-19), spring and the upcoming Limb Loss Awareness Month.
I want to touch on this specter - the Coronavirus - that is changing all our lives. It is very important in this time of isolation that we keep ourselves busy and reach out to online support groups, friends and family through phone calls or social media. Take this time if you are a new amputee to heal, rest, do the stretches your doctor or therapist gave you to do. This is your time to let your body rest and this is also a great time to make a plan for what you think you want to do in your future.
We here at Dankmeyer are here for you and we will be keeping you updated on any changes that could come due to the virus. In the meantime, please feel free to contact our front desk staff if you want to make any changes to your appointments. We are here to help you! The most important thing I can share with you is, “To never lose hope”. Keep an eye out on our website for updates for things you can read and please reach out by email, or by phone as I am here to listen when you need a friendly ear.
Normally, at this time of year we would be shouting Welcome Spring! April and Easter are right around the corner and that is our month to shine. April is Limb Loss Awareness Month!! It is our month to reach out and let people know, ”I MATTER”, “I AM IMPORTANT”, “I AM STRONG”. Although public festivities are cancelled and new words like “social distancing” have changed how we interact, I want you to know you aren’t alone. I am here to answer your questions, provide support as well as help you stay in touch with someone who understands how you feel. We can celebrate Limb Loss Awareness together - just in a different way. We cannot let this month pass because an invisible virus is keeping us at home.
The Amputee Coalition is planning “Advocacy Day”, formerly known as “Hill Day”. Instead of converging upon Washington, D.C., it is going to be set up via the internet. We will post on our website details once they have released the official date and times. To educate others about limb loss and limb difference, I am working on a slideshow campaign. If you want to be included, I would love you to email me a small bio and a picture or two “Showing Your Mettle”. This campaign is where people get a chance to show their limb loss and all the things they love to do in their lives - or maybe pictures of things they are working toward. I would love to see all your pictures and hear your words of accomplishments.
Orange is our official color for Limb Loss Awareness month so put on your orange. (This should be easy for Baltimore Orioles fans!) Post it across your social media to let every know that you are proud to be a limb loss survivor and you are your own kind of beautiful! Remember, we come from so many walks of life. We are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, we are grocery store workers, customer service agents, nurses, truck drivers, the list goes on. No matter what we do, as long as we do our best to embrace our new normal, we can all climb the mountains we have pictured in our future.
Quote for March: “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”– Thich Nhat Hanh
These tips are informed suggestions. If you do not feel comfortable with them, please do not attempt them. Instead as always contact your medical professional or your prosthetist for help and advice.
If you have a question for me about living as an amputee, ask! And if I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you, and I will leave no stone unturned to help you find your own personal new normal. If there is a topic you would like me to feature please let me know! I want us all to grow strong together. Email me at Dawn@dankmeyer.com. This email is not secure, so if you wish to keep any specific health information private, you should call us!
Dawn Miranda recently joined Dankmeyer, Inc. as a Prosthetist Assistant after relocating from San Antonio, TX. To read more about Dawn on our Clinical Staff page, click here.