The Active Amputee

Guest post by Audrey Cakin ⎮ April 11, 2018 ⎮ Inform & Inspire

How an amputee changed things in Martinique

The Active Amputee recently engaged in a new partnership with yoocan, a global collaborative community for and by people with disabilities. We join hands to share more inspiring stories by amazing people with a wider audience. And I am very happy to open this collaboration with the story of Audrey Cakin, a double amputee from the Caribbean. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ April 8, 2018 ⎮ Inform

CAF funding to develop my climbing skills further

April is Limb Loss Awareness Month. And it started well for me. Very well, indeed. Earlier this month I received notice that I am part of this year’s team of athletes of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). I am very thankful for the CAF support as it will enable me to to further develop my climbing skills, both indoors and outdoors. I will keep you posted about the developments in this regard. read more

Guest post by by Aristotle Todd Domingo ⎮ April 4, 2018 ⎮ Inform

The Amputee Coalition of Toronto

Limb loss is a traumatic experience, regardless of the reason for amputation, and can impact different areas of the amputee’s life. After amputation, there are many things amputees cannot control - when to get the first socket, triggers of phantom pain, the number of ply socks required for comfort, and so on. But feeling alone in the journey should not be one of them. For me, this is something I can control and I choose to do something about. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ March 25, 2018 ⎮ Inform

Behind the scenes at the Paralympic Games

While the games are on and all the attention is on the competitions, there is a lot going on behind the scenes to enable athletes to give their best. Here is a behind the scenes video from the Ottobock PyeongChang2018 repair Service Center. In this centre Ottobock technicians and welders do anything from building prostheses to repairing ice sledges, from sewing clothes to forming new covers to support all athletes during the Paralympic Games. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ March 21, 2018 ⎮ Inspire & Inform

Jamie the unlikely superhero plans another mind-boggling adventure

Three years after the end of a 5,000-mile solo run across Canada, during which real-life superhero Jamie McDonald raised more than £250,000 for children’s charities, the fundraiser has announced that he will be running across the United States of America, again dressed as a superhero. Due to his year-long visa, he is in a race against time to complete the challenge, and will be running a marathon most days to complete it. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ March 18, 2018 ⎮ Inspire

Malvika Iyer receives prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar Award

On International Women’s Day Malviky was one of only 39 people who received the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar Award by the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development. The award is given to women, organisations and institutions for their distinguished services for the cause of women, especially those vulnerable and marginalised. read more

Guest post by Sebastiana Lopez ⎮ March 14, 2018 ⎮ Inspire

Who cares of the odds are stacked against you

In early 2015, the life of Sebastiana Lopez almost ended. A horrible motorcycle accident left her severely injured and resulted in the amputation of her right leg. After weeks in a medical induced coma, after depending on others for her daily routine, Sebastiana decided to use this life-altering experience as an opportunity to start anew. And she came back stronger than ever. „Who cares if the odds are stacked up against us, bring it on. We will not be defeated and when we fail. We will learn and emerge stronger, faster, well informed.“ Here is her amazing story. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ March 11, 2018 ⎮ Inform

Rewarding days in Kathmandu

I am a regular visitor to Nepal and just came back from my 13th journey in the last eight years. And I still can’t get enough of this country, its people, its culture. As an amputee Nepal isn’t the easiest country to travel. But it isn’t the hardest either. And if you are willing to give it a go you will be rewarded with an amazing time. Even if you only stay within the Kathmandu valley, you can easily fill a week’s itinerary with an exciting mixture of world heritage sites and stunning nature. Nepalis are immensely friendly. Hospitality is genuine and you are welcome with open arms. Yes, Kathmandu is touristy, but at the same time Nepal’s capital is an authentic city with its very own culture and charm. Here are some impressions form this amazing city. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ March 7, 2018 ⎮ Inspire

Hiking in the Himalayas as an amputee

Covering a 1,300 meters difference in altitude in a day - first up and then down again - is a demanding task, even if you have two legs. Trying to do so as an above-the-knee amputee is even more of a challenge. Adding the fact that the hike between Budhanilkantha and the peak of Shivapuri is mainly made up of several very long sets of steps and you know that your remaining leg is in for an XXL workout. And that is just what I wanted. read more

Guest post by Richard Lamb ⎮ February 14, 2018 ⎮ Inform

Life coaching and hypnotherapy

Richard's journey really began on February 24, 2001, on the icy slopes of Ben Nevis in Scotland. He luckily survived a winter mountaineering fall from an exposed route called Tower Ridge, which tragically killed his climbing partner. After a night out in the cold Richard was left with significantly disabling, and life-long, injuries. This experience and the physical injuries set him on a new path forward based on an awareness of these imposed limitations and the opportunities for growth. And that's when his journey began. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ February 11, 2018 ⎮ Inform

First Paraclimbing Club in the UK opens in Edinburgh

Good news from Edinburgh. Below the knee amputee Keith Lynch has set up a climbing club especially for people with disabilities. The Scottish Paraclimbing Club is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom providing opportunities for people with additional support needs to get involved in climbing and progress in the sport. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ February 7, 2018 ⎮ Inspire

Of natural and man-made disasters

In my line of work I travel a lot. Between 2009 and 2015 I regularly visited Nepal. Ever since my childhood I wanted to travel in the Himalayas. One of the first adventure books I ever read was by Alexandra David-Néel, a French woman who traveled to the then forbidden city of Lhasa in Tibet in the 1920s. And while I never made it to Tibet, I developed a special love for Nepal and its people. After a break of several years I soon will have the chance to go back and visit Kathmandu and its surroundings once more. And to get into the right mood, I want to share one of the stories from my last trip to Nepal. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ February 4, 2018 ⎮ Inform & Inspire

World Cancer Day: Thankful and celebrating to be a survivor

Today is World Cancer Day. A gentle reminder not to take anything for granted, not even life itself. A gentle reminder to celebrate that you are a survivor. A gentle reminder to be thankful for all those people along the journey, who were there when you needed them most. read more

Guest post by Aurélie Loeac ⎮ January 31, 2018 ⎮ Inform & inspire

Aurélie, the wheelchair using globetrotter

Aurélie used to work in the law industry but she caught the travel bug a few years ago. Since then she tries to be on the road as often as possible, backpacking with her wheelchair and reporting on accessibility. Aurélie runs the beautiful website I Wheel Travel, which is bursting with inspiration and advice for other travelers with a disability. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ January 28, 2018 ⎮ Inform

Gear review: The ADK climbing foot

Climbing is a great sport. And there is no reason why people with a limb difference shouldn‘t give it a try. I have been climbing for a couple of years now and I tried a variety of set-ups for my prosthesis; i.e. completely without any artificial limb (no socket, no knee, no foot, no nothing) and with the C-Leg (but with my normal day-to-day foot) before settling on the ADK climbing foot. The ADK foot is a rather unspectacular piece of gear but it works surprisingly well for me. It‘s a simple construction that I mount directly underneath my socket. And while the foot has a few issues I would like to change, I am generally satisfied with it. read more

Guest post by Jenna Rivera ⎮ January 24, 2018 ⎮ Inspire

The opposite of suicide: Finding gratitude and grace in life 

Over the Christmas break I finally had some time to reach out to other amputees exploring who might be interested in sharing his or her story on The Active Amputee. One of the people I contacted was Jenna Rivera. I wanted to learn more about how she uses yoga and meditation in her recovery process. And right after my initial lines went through, I got a first reply. Which read: „Hello Bjoern! Did you sent this because of the mail I set earlier? Because I shared my story with you earlier for you to share on your site.“ No, I hadn‘t seen her mail. What an amazing coincidence. A bit of serendipity to start the new year. So I opened my inbox and this is what I found. Jenna‘s amazing story. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ January 21, 2018 ⎮ Inform

The survey results are in, the new ideas are about to take off 

The Active Amputee took a month off and this is the first post in the new year. I am back with plenty of new ideas to keep The Active Amputee interesting, informative and fun to read. As you might remember I ran a little survey towards the end of last year. The first one of its kind on the page. And it was quite exciting to see the results coming in; the first ones within minutes after I published the post and had the link up on Instagram and co. What I learned will help me to create more valuable content for the blog. Here are some of what I learned. And some of the new ideas that sprang from your feedback. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ December 17, 2017 ⎮ Inform

End of the year survey - Getting to know you better 

2017 is slowly coming to an end. The Active Amputee will take a few days off over the Christmas season. This short break will provide me with the time I need to work on a few new ideas, to reach out to more people and organisations and invite them to share their stories on this page and to develop a few new features for the site. In order to make The Active Amputee even more interesting for you, it would be great if I could learn a bit more about you, your needs and interests. I would highly appreciate if you take a few minutes and take this short survey. It‘s just a few simple questions that will help me to create more exciting content. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ December 13, 2017 ⎮ Inform

Time to say "Thank You!"

In early April of this year, I started The Actice Amputee as a resource page for amputees and their families. My initial ideas was to inform amputees about anything from dealing with phantom pain to new developments in the prosthetic sector. I wanted to inspire them by sharing the stories of other amputees and what they are up to. And I wanted to encourage amputees to be active and try out new things. Nothing less, nothing more. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ December 10, 2017 ⎮ Inspire

Final event of this year's British Paraclimbng Series

Yesterday saw the last competition of the 2017 British Paraclimbing Series. And what a glorious final to this year‘s series it was. Thanks to everybody involved. Putting on four excellent competitions and drawing in so many gifted climbers is not an easy feat. read more

Guest post by Rebecca Sellar ⎮ December 6, 2017 ⎮ Inform

Discovering wheelchair tennis

Rebecca, a 25 year old below-knee amputee from Scotland loves coaching and playing tennis, took part in this year‘s paraclimbing series and recently competed for Scotland in a national debut match against the Netherlands. And all that when only a few years ago she did not consider herself a sporty person. read more

Post by Bjoern Eser ⎮ December 3, 2017 ⎮ Inform & Inspire

New videos by The English Federation of Disability Sport: Me, being active!

Today - that is December 3, 2017 - is the International Day for Disabled People. The The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) has just released a new collection of short inspirational films. The mini series is called „Me, Being Active“. Anoushé Husain who you have met here before features in one of the videos, explaining how being active is key to her lifestyle and comes with immense benefits for her overall wellbeing. read more