Amputee Outreach opens support groups

April is National Limb Loss Awareness Month and Amputee Outreach, a nonprofit peer support organization, is hosting its first in-person group support meeting in more than a year.

“Just like everyone else, we had to stop meeting in person because of COVID. It’s really exciting that we can host our first meeting during Limb Loss Awareness Month,” said Shelly Wetmore, founder.

The meeting, which is open to amputees and their families and caregivers, is at 1 p.m., April 29 at Foodie Café, 196 No. 150 Cohasset Road, Chico.

There are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in this country with approximately 185,000 amputations performed each year, according to the Amputee Coalition, a national amputee support organization.

“On average 507 Americans lose a limb each day,” said Wetmore, who underwent an amputation of her right leg below the knee in 2017 after a series of medical complications including blood clots.

It was Wetmore’s personal experience that led her to create Amputee Outreach saying, “there just wasn’t any peer support out there, no way to connect with people with common experience. I felt so all alone. It was very scary. I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what I did by themselves. That’s why our slogan is ‘ You are not alone.’”

In 2018 Wetmore earned her certification as a peer support councilor from Amputee Coalition of America and began reaching out to local surgeons, hospitals, other medical professionals letting them know she was available to speak with patients and their families. She also held the first Amputee Outreach peer support group meeting in Chico.

In late 2019 Amputee Outreach received its federal 501c3 nonprofit status. Until then Wetmore was personally funding

the group. While expenses aren’t high “just things like office supplies to make the flyers, gas to get to private support meetings with people,” said Wetmore. She is hoping for private donations and grants to expand the organization’s services.

As the demand for support grew, Wetmore extended her support beyond

Butte County to people as far south as Yuba City and north to Redding. Attendance at her local support group meetings reached 40 people, both amputees and caregivers. Wetmore herself had done 280 pre-surgical support meetings with amputees and their families. By 2020, 11 other amputees from Wetmore’s group had earned their peer support certifications. The organization also had multi-lingual volunteers who could assist with translation when

necessary.

“Look my goal, our goal is that there is not one amputee in the North Valley that ever feels alone. Fifty percent of recovery is emotional, mental and it can be very difficult dealing with the loss of a limb and all the life changing things that come with that. We are here to be with other amputees as they go through the ups and downs, the bumps and trauma. We’re here to help them, to teach them they can heal and thrive, not just

survive,” said Wetmore.

To support people during the pandemic when oneonone and group meetings were impossible, Wetmore took to Zoom, created a website and began utilizing Amputee Help, a private Facebook page she had created. The pandemic sent folks to the internet for help and they found Wetmore and her group. The Facebook page has nearly 9,500 members from across the nation from California to Florida who log on to ask questions

and share experiences, victories and defeats, helpful information and resources.

“We’re now providing support to people all across the country and they are connecting with each other. I’m not, we’re not doctors or psychiatrists. We can’t guarantee people’s outcome but we sure can help with expectations and challenges and celebrate the victories — big and small,” said Wetmore.

As COVID restrictions loosen Wetmore plans to

regularly host the monthly group support meetings which frequently include guest speakers including rehabilitation and prosthetic experts. She also plans to increase awareness about limb loss and Amputee Outreach by participating in public community events.

www. MyAmputeeOutreach.org

530-343- 0005

Group Peer Support Meting: 1 p.m., April 29, Foodie Café, 196 No. 150 Cohasset Rd., Chico