Get moving (again)

Exposition highlights cutting-edge prosthetics that offer new mobility

Lare gone. Spirits remain attached. Medical science is the bridge between them. “There’s a lot of falling down,” says double amputee Matthew Brewer, settling onto a bench after a series of slow but steady strides on his prosthetic, microprocessor-guided legs. “It’s getting up one more time than you fall that matters.”

Gumption and grace — integral to living in a new reality — were the hallmarks of amputees who milled amid industry professionals at the recent Hanger Education Fair at the Rio. Hundreds of prosthetic/orthotic exhibitors and professionals crowded the event, sponsored by industry heavyweight Hanger Inc., which operates 600-plus patient care offices nationwide, including two in Las Vegas and one in Henderson.

Approximately 1.7 million Americans are amputees, as estimated by the Amputation Coalition of America. Several at the Vegas conference who are fitted with cutting-edge prosthetics and limb-assisting orthotic devices vividly illustrated their struggles

— and triumphs.