JANUARY NEWSLETTER THIS MONTH'S FEATURES . . . 1. A Step Ahead's Emergency Hotline
2. Our Need for Feet!
3. January Vacation Schedule
4. Salick Completes 10K!
5. McGill Named to ACA's Board of Directors
6. Upcoming Support Group Meetings A STEP AHEAD'S EMERGENCY HOTLINE As we have noted in previous newsletters, clients confronted with an emergency situation can always call into our main number and follow the instructions to leave an emergency message for Erik Schaffer. We have recently experienced some problems with this system, and we are working to make sure that the emergency voicemails get routed to Erik appropriately. However, we encourage any clients utilizing the system to call back -- repeatedly if necessary -- if they do not hear from Erik within 1 hour of making their first call. It is critical that you NOT worry about "pestering" Erik if you don't hear back from him after 1 hour! The hotline exists for you, and if you don't get a call back after 1 hour, you can safely assume that Erik never got the message. Do not relent -- make sure you hunt him down if you need him! OUR NEED FOR FEET!? We need your (real) feet! "Why?" would be a logical question in response to this entreaty. The answer: we are attempting to develop a "library" of feet so that we can more quickly deliver our silicone skin systems to you. Right now, when trying to create an individual's skin system, we are forced to hunt for people with a foot that closely resembles your missing foot in order to create an initial mold. Without that mold, we cannot even begin the process of creating the skin system. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF WOMEN'S FEET, SINCE MORE THAN 95% OF OUR WORK IN PROGRESS INVOLVES FEMALES! Accordingly, we send out the following plea: if you (and a loved one) have an hour to spare the week of January 13 to have a mold taken, we would be MOST appreciative. The process is painless and takes only an hour. Please call Jen Thomas so we can set you up. We thank you in advance for your assistance! JANUARY VACATION SCHEDULE Just a reminder that Erik Schaffer will not be in the office the week of January 13, 2003. We will not be scheduling appointments for socket work or deliveries that week, although we will have our technical staff, Dennis and Alan Dukacz, available at the office for any prosthetic emergencies. They will also be available for any foam cover fabrication and repair work during that week, in addition to the foot molds referenced in the preceding feature. If you need foam cover work done or plan to help us by getting your foot molded, give Jen Thomas a call so that we can schedule you. SALICK COMPLETES 10K! Congrats to Elizabeth Salick (AK), who made the mistake of telling us that she ran (leg-over-leg) a 10K race for the first time, thus ensuring, much to her dismay, that her name would appear in these hallowed e-pages. Salick has previously completed other 10K's, but this is the first time she ran the entire race, averaging under 12 minutes per mile. Salick, who rode horses regularly before taking up running, reports that running 6.2 miles with a prosthesis is much harder than riding a horse the same distance. Great job, Elizabeth! McGILL NAMED TO ACA'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS David McGill was recently appointed to the Amputee Coalition of America's Board of Directors. The Amputee Coalition of America (http://www.amputee-coalition.org/) is a not-for-profit organization serving amputees on a national basis. Run by A Step Ahead client Paddy Rossbach (President & CEO), this organization provides invaluable resources to amputees and their families. For any clients who are not presently members of the ACA, call our facility and enroll for a free 4-month membership, which includes the ACA bi-monthly magazine, In Motion. We also encourage you to clear your calendars now -- the ACA's annual convention is taking place here in the Northeast in 2003. The convention isn't often on the East coast, so gear up for a quick trip to Boston on July 4 weekend! For more information about the convention, check out http://www.amputee-coalition.org/annual_meeting_about.html. UPCOMING SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS Lauren Peters' Support Group: January 14, 2003 @ 7:00 p.m.
ASPIRE Meeting: January 29, 2003, @ 6:15 p.m.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Thomas at our office. HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
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