Archive - November 2018

Lives & Limbs - Musicians

Posted On: November 30, 2018 by Mike Mallaro in: Healthcare, Social commentary

It's Friday. Let's all put down our history books and pick up our headphones. As my series inspired by Nicole Ver Kuilen's visit continues, I'd like to put the spotlight on an impressive pair of musicians who continue to play the music that they love despite having suffered what many would consider to be career-ending setbacks. The Thunder God's Missing Arm [gallery ids="499,500" type="rectangular"] Rick Allen has been drumming for Def Leppard since 1978, and is widely...

Lives & Limbs - Ancient History

Posted On: November 26, 2018 by Mike Mallaro in: Healthcare

My series of articles inspired by Nicole Ver Kuilen's visit continues. I noticed over Thanksgiving that a lot of TV channels seemed to be embracing "Throwback Thursday" by airing old but awesome episodes of their most popular shows. I'm a few days late to the party, but I thought that this would be a good opportunity to highlight a couple of fascinating figures from our distant past. The Original "Iron Man" We have evidence of prosthetics being used by the ancient Egyptians, but...

Lives & Limbs - Athletes

Posted On: November 19, 2018 by Mike Mallaro in: Healthcare

Last week, I announced a series of posts inspired by a visit with Nicole Ver Kuilen. Since Nicole has chosen to use running as the vehicle for her advocacy on behalf of her fellow amputees, I'd like to start with a couple of impressive amputee athletes. The Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius got a lot of attention for being the first amputee to make the transition into the regular Olympics, and that’s probably appropriate. He didn’t run particularly well though, and he stirred...

Lives & Limbs: A Celebration of Prosthetic Advancement and Amputee Achievement

Posted On: November 16, 2018 by Mike Mallaro in: Healthcare

[gallery ids="484,485" type="rectangular" link="none"] I recently had the pleasure of being visited in my office by an impressive young woman by the name of Nicole Ver Kuilen. Nicole has been named as the inaugural Health Policy & Advocacy Fellow at the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics & Prosthetics (NAAOP), having lost her left leg to cancer at the age of ten. As she grew older, Nicole’s desire to be an athlete brought her new challenges. Obtaining a prosthesis that could...