Amputee Story of Rob Purdon, Nordic Skier
As a way of introduction, I am
41, work for the Ontario Ministry of the
Environment, am married with two daughters aged 9 and 6. My story so far:
I originally injured my left ankle due to a fall (4.5 m) in
November 1998.
A series of operations followed, culminating in a total ankle
replacement in
April, 2002. My recovery was going fairly well until
May, 2003, when the
bone around the prosthetic joint began to degrade, resulting
in the
amputation of my left leg below my knee in September, 2003.
Following the surgery, I worked very hard at my recovery (I
started walking
with the PAM-Aid a week after the surgery). I have been
running on the
treadmill for the last 2 months, and started nordic skiing
(both skate and
classic techniques) last weekend (5 months after the surgery).
I skied 5 km
the first day, 8 km the second, then a couple of short skis
this week. I
received my Otto Bock Advantage DP foot on Tuesday, and feel
my
confidence/agility improving daily. I have a level of
mobility that I have
not enjoyed since my injury in 1998, and things couldn't be
going better. I
am going to enter a 10 km family fun cross country ski race
next week, and
ramp-up running, mountain biking and ski-specific training
over the summer.
I hope to compete in my age class in recreational races next
year.
I am also an avid canoeist and white water kayaker, and
although I haven't
been able to do any white water since the accident, I plan on
getting into
my kayak again this summer. We have some short family
flatwater canoe trips
already lined up.
I have to confess that I am at a bit of an advantage over some
amputees - I
had known since 1998 that amputation was a possibility, and
had the summer
of 2003 to prepare for it. I have been able to be very
positive, energetic
and motivated throughout my recovery - indeed I have a level
of mobility
which I have not enjoyed for some time. I have set
small, incremental
goals, and have captialized on consistent success. This
keeps motivation
and energy elevated resulting in a positive energy feedback.
UPDATE: SEPT 2005
The good news - less than a year after my amputation (less than 6 months to be correct) I entered and skied in a 10 km race. My time was reasonable for classic technique at just over 1 hour, considering the timeframe from amputation to skiing.
The bad news - just before Christmas in '04, I slipped on the ice with my prosthetic and fractured <you guessed it> my good ankle, thereby writting off an entire ski season.
Following my recovery from this injury, I have taken up Karate (Isshin-Ryu) and will be tested for my first (yellow) belt at the end of September. My mobility is great, I went on a 5 day wilderness canoe trip with my wife and two daughters last week, and continue to be extremely optimistic about my capabilities.
This fall will see me focusing on fitness through karate and cardiovascular training, and you will see me skiing once again when the snow comes.
Cheers!
Earle Connor is The 2004 Laureus Sportsperson
of the Year with a Disability
Earle Connor is proving to be a
champion for the 21st century. In 2000, he won gold and silver
medals at the Sydney Paralympic Games, where he also set a
world record in the men's 100 meters T42 event. In 2001 he
racked up three more world track records. Connor had one
spectacular summer in 2003 when he broke four world records:
the 100 meters (12.14 secs), 200 meters (26.66 secs) and 400
meters (1 min 7.32 secs) on the same day in Germany. Six
days later, in Milan, he lowered his own 200 meters record to
26.40 secs.
Now he's won the
2004 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a
Disability Award. That puts him in the same class
of athlete as Tiger Woods, Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong,
Jennifer Capriati and Pele, whom Laureus had previously
recognized.
But unlike those
inspiring athletes, Connor has become a winner with the help
of 21st century technology. Having undergone surgical
amputation above the knee when he was just three months old,
Earle has been running on a Flex-Foot® Flex-Sprint prosthetic
foot and wearing a Ceterus prosthetic foot for everyday use.
Both feet are made by Ossur, which has been sponsoring Earle
since 1999, as well as a team of exceptional athletes,
talented performers and professionals from around the world,
who excel in their chosen sport or career. Team Ossur
members include Marlon Shirley, the world's fastest amputee,
who broke the 11 second barrier last summer by running the 100
meters event in 10.97 seconds, and Paul Martin who, on
successive weekends competed in the Ironman in Hawaii; the
Xterra World Championships on Maui; the San Diego Triathlon
Challenge in California; and the Triathlon World Championships
in Cancun, Mexico.
Connor's talent was
never in question. He was involved in able-bodied sports until
the age of 21, and was the first amputee ever drafted into an
able-bodied junior hockey league. Then "while watching
the 1996 Paralympics, I saw the finishing time of the athlete
who came in eighth in a track and field event and was
convinced I could beat it," he says.
Sure that he could compete at that level, two
weeks later Connor packed his bags and drove the 3,000 miles
from his home in Saskatoon, Canada, to Hamilton, Ontario to
train. He eventually settled in Calgary where he currently
lives. He still trains four to five hours a day, and works as
a personal trainer helping others achieve their goals.
Connor credits
prosthetic technology for helping him to attain his own goals.
Over the years he'd used all types of prosthetic feet, from
those with only the basic elements to the superior designs and
engineering available from Ossur today. "In the next 10
years, I know that amputees like me will have prostheses with
even greater benefits," he says.
Contacts:
Ossur Marketing:
Oddny Bjornsdottir
Aliso Viejo, California
(949) 362-3883
objornsdottir@ossur.com
Public Relations:
Beverly Millson
Missing Sock Public Relations
(703) 887-7034
Beverly@missingsock.com
