April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month!
This is our month to celebrate all that we have achieved and to show our mettle!
Eat, Pray, Love
Eat. This means we take pause and feed our souls. Self-care is so important, as well as self-reflection. It means taking a pause from social media, the news, and picking up a book, or going for a walk, or let us just sit outdoors. Eat also means that spring is a good time to check our eating habits. Reevaluate our diets and whether we are hydrating ourselves enough. I feel you can never get enough water - it is key to my overall health. Check out this article from Oprah.com where I found some ideas on feeding your soul.
Pray. This is very different for all of us. Celebrate what this word means to you personally. For me, it means I embrace everyone in our world. The beautiful thing is, we are all different in our own ways. We are all perfectly, imperfect humans! We all have the same chemical makeup - let us celebrate that we all are our own kind of beautiful.
Love. Let us all embrace kindness in everyday life. Kindness is such a simple act that we can show in so many ways. Spread kindness in your workplace, in your home, and in your neighborhood.
April is a perfect month to rest, recharge and focus on our individual bigger picture. What is that picture? For amputees or those with limb difference, it is an opportunity to join together, using our voices in Congress to let them know we deserve to have the prosthetic healthcare we need covered by all insurances. The Amputee Coalition (AC) calls every one of us to action to write to our legislators - senators and representatives, to fight beside us, so that they make the insurance companies understand that a prosthetic leg is not a luxury. The AC gives us many opportunities for advocacy. Visit their Grassroots Advocacy center to see how your voice can make a difference.
This month Dankmeyer has celebrated Limb Loss and Limb Difference Month every day - in our offices, across social media platforms, and in the limb loss community. We attended the DC 2nd Annual Cycle Clinic to support 30 amputees learning that they can get outdoors and ride a bike. We attended advocacy seminars and symposiums. And every Wednesday, we wore orange! We shared stories and celebrated with each other. I want everyone to celebrate new normal.
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.