Hanger, Inc.

It was a big month in Indianapolis for the #Indy500, and the local #HangerClinic team was in on the action! More than 50 kids and adults with limb loss and limb difference and their families participated in a “Day at the Track” event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Attendees watched the qualifying races, explored the track, and enjoyed a surprise visit from Motorsports Hall of Fame driver, Arie Luyendyk. Awesome job, Indianapolis team, for creating community and hosting an unforgettable event for all ages and abilities. #EmpoweredCareers

Last March, Mayra Villegas was riding a motorcycle when she was hit by a truck and lost her left leg below the knee. Due to complications from her first surgery, Mayra was transferred to University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC), where she connected with Shawn Diamond and Taylor Yong at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso for additional surgeries, and later #HangerClinic prosthetist Edmundo Corchado to be fit with her first prosthesis. In the months following her accident, Mayra has worked hard to regain her strength and mobility. As a full-time personal trainer, she’s since returned to training clients and teaching fitness classes! Mayra hopes her story will motivate others in the community and show that there is life after amputation – with the right support and care, you can achieve your goals. #EmpoweredCareers

Earlier this month, the Salt Lake City team hosted their second annual #HangerClinic Field Day at the University of Utah for more than 40 members of the limb loss and limb difference community. The action-packed day was full of adaptive sports and outdoor community to help attendees try new activities and find education, support, and encouragement on their mobility journey. Kudos to the local team members who helped make the event a resounding success! #EmpoweredCareers

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember and honor the brave service members who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. If there’s a special service member you’re remembering, please share their name in the comments so we can honor them together. 

Last month, the Detroit, MI team hosted a #HangerClinic Empowered Culinary Academy at their local Sur La Table! Using adaptive equipment and specialized instruction, nine participants with upper limb loss and limb difference learned new skills and gained confidence in their cooking abilities. Shoutout to Ryan Sheridan, Amy Todd and Alayna Roscoe for organizing and hosting the event – as you can see from the pictures, it was a hit!   Special thanks to all the sponsors who helped make the event possible: Steeper, Point Designs, New Wave Prosthetics Inc., and Fabrication Limited. #OandP #EmpoweredCareers

Matt Harms, a newscast director at WJXT, lost his leg above the knee last October due to undiagnosed diabetes. Less than two months after being fit with his prosthesis by Jacksonville, FL #HangerClinic prosthetist Morgan Oxenrider, Matt accomplished his goal of walking the full length of the Challenge Mile at the Gate River Run event! He was joined by Morgan and his Brooks Rehabilitation physical therapist Scott Pompilio. #EmpoweredCareers

In 2019, while living and working in St. Croix as a marine scientist, Kemit-Amon Lewis contracted a bacterial infection that led to septic shock. After two weeks in a coma, he awoke to the news that doctors had to amputate his right leg below the knee as well as his right hand, left fingers, and left toes. Over the past five years, Kemit has worked hard to regain his mobility and return to his passions. With help from his doctors at Broward Health and custom prosthetic care from Florida #HangerClinic team members Brett Rosen and Jesse Mitrani, Kemit is back playing tennis, a sport he's played competitively throughout his life. Earlier this year, Kemit crushed it at the Oceania Para Standing Tennis Championships in Melbourne, Australia, and he has his sights set on another international event this summer! He’s also enjoying getting back to dance and scuba diving in his spare time. Living by the mantra, "There’s no limit to what the human body can do when the mind is in the right place," Kemit hopes to inspire others in this next phase of his life. "Every breath I’ve taken since the summer of 2019 feels like a gift," Kemit shared. "Every new experience that this new chapter of my life brings, every new moment and friend made, is cherished in a way that I really can’t explain." Thank you to Brett, Jesse and the FL team for providing Kemit with life-changing care over the years! #EmpoweredCareers

The #OandP Almanac recently interviewed Kansas City #HangerClinic Area Clinic Manager Shannon O'Shea about best practices and strategies to use when treating nonverbal or minimally verbal pediatric patients, saying nonverbal doesn’t mean there is no or lesser cognition and many patients can communicate in alternative ways. “Get down on their level, make eye contact, and provide an opportunity for the patient to offer feedback in whatever way works for them.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dJ4NBaaW

After dislocating his knee at a young age, Shaiq Walizada – who was born in Afghanistan – endured many failed surgeries and constant pain that kept him on crutches for 14 years. He moved to the U.S. when he was 15 in hopes of gaining an education and accessing better treatment for his leg. But in 2015, a severe blood clot led to the amputation of his left leg above the knee. Years later, Shaiq was back on crutches again due to a broken prosthesis. He found a friend in #HangerClinic business development manager Denise Galan in Altamonte Springs, FL, who connected him with prosthetist Herb Smith as well as Steps Of Faith Foundation. The foundation worked alongside Smith to provide Shaiq with a new prosthetic leg, and today, Shaiq is finally able to walk without crutches again! Shoutout to the local team for their collaborative care in helping Shaiq reach his mobility goals. #EmpoweredCareers

Celebrating all moms and mother figures in our Hanger community this #MothersDay weekend! From our incredible clinical staff to those making things happen behind the scenes, you all are true supermoms and your resiliency, dedication and passion doesn’t go unnoticed.   [Pictured: Proud moms Jillian Okimoto, Jodi Doyle, Denise Pease, Kelly Perez, Kathleen Means and Christin Jones]