Limb difference families unite!

I talk about offering support to other moms and dads of kids with limb differences. I use this blog as one way. Helping moderate the Sammy’s Friends listserv is another big way. I expanded this site onto Facebook and have had a chance to interact with so many other people. Jordan and I sometimes speak to classes – college level and preschool level. But I’m always looking for new ways. I try to keep up with a community in BabyCenter but I’m terrible at that.

So… I’m going to try a little harder to dig into the web world and keep track of news articles and developments for limb different kids. There are a lot of resources out there. I don’t use them all… Even though a piece of me wishes I took the time to reach out to more people. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all worked together to support each other? Wouldn’t it be incredible if we all leaned on each other to help teach the many people in the world who can’t get over what they think a person is supposed to look like? Limb differences aren’t the end of the world. Our kids are going to be JUST fine.

I keep a list of sites I think offer perspectives and information to families on the right side of this site. Those are the links to “Sites I Watch.” Feel free to check them out and offer sites any time! I asked folks on the Born Just Right Facebook page for ideas. If you ever come up with one, feel free to post it there too!

Beyond sites… Here are a few other interesting articles/web pages I found:
The Amputee Coalition of America wrote an article on prosthetics and children with limb differences.
A list of limb difference terms from the Amputee Coalition of America.
Reach.org listed the stages parents can go through with limb different kids.
Another Amputee Coalition publication about parenting limb different kids called Expectations.
Baseball player Jim Abbott talks to his fans on this webpage. He’s an incredible advocate for kids and parents.

Sammy’s Friends member Michelle wanted to share this community program where she talks about sweet Annabelle and an organization that has really helped her family, Variety Children’s Charity of Detroit:

In the news… I stumbled into this really cool article about a 13-year-old British boy who was able to become the youngest person with an iLimb. I’m floored that a kid that young is fortunate to use such a functional (yet heavy) helper arm. Speaking of iLimbs, have you read about Sacramento, California’s Carly Davis? She recently got an iLimb and is heading into her second pageant this year. She’s competing in honor of the Sammy’s Friends kids. She did an awesome interview on the Fox station on Sacramento station that’s worth watching! You can even keep up with her pageant on her Facebook page.

I think I’ll also share a project I’m helping with at work. It’s called The Culture that Crawls – it’s a site about an organization that is helping people who are unable to walk get mobile with the help of wheelchairs and Personal Energy Transportation (PET) devices. Two reporters and a fabulous photographer went to Guatemala to help distribute devices. I feel mobility is an incredible gift that some have more easily than others. Hopefully we can help share the stories of the people in Guatemala and make a difference.