No matter his antics in the recent years, Michael Jackson in my mind was both a musical genius and a legendary entertainer. Farewell MJ…
I guess a garbage strike isn’t so bad…
***WARNING***
Extremely disturbing. I’m not sure how I feel about the video and the some of the stories coming out about the video, but an undeniable demonstration of the atrocities in Iran in senseless killings and innocent people dying fighting for a fair election. A dose of how good I guess we really have it…..
What do you get when you mix 28 degree temperatures with a garbage strike?
The crappiest city in Canada….Toronto.
Canada’s great medical system…as long as you don’t lose a limb.
This summer I was lucky enough to find a summer job in the field. For 4 weeks now I’ve been working in a prosthetics clinic job shadowing the 2 Prosthetists as well as being able to get in and work with both new amputees in the hospital as well as “experienced” amputees that visit the clinic. In school you get taught all the concepts behind the theory and practice of making and fitting artificial limbs. However what you don’t get to see is the reality behind what some of these amputees go through and the bureaucracy behind giving someone the ability to walk.
An elderly gentleman that I met in the hospital who recently had his leg amputated was obviously very distraught about the event. Will I be able to walk again? How can I do anything for myself? etc…all concerns that are to be expected….except for one. His concern of “How am I going to pay for this?” That’s right, he didn’t have access to a top notch secondary private healthcare plan so here in Ontario his prosthetic devices are only covered up to a maximum of 75% by the government. So how much will he have to pay out of his own pocket for his initial leg……$2000….and this is just a training leg. He will then probably be paying at least $4000-$5000 out of his own pocket so that he can be given the the chance to walk again with a new final limb everytime he needs a new one (around every 3 years)…..and the main reason for this is that Prosthetists (people who take care of amputees and design and make them prosthetic devices) are not considered to be health care providers here in Ontario, they are simply device providers…..or in others words, a salesman.
I guess I seem to say that alot…oh well, c’est la vie.
What has been going on with Doug….I’ve had an eventful year filled with making and fitting 8 below knee amputees, 8 above knee amputees and 15 leg braces in school. The most interesting fact about being back in school as a 30 year old now is how much better I’m doing as compared to when I was in university. Back then I was happy if I just passed, and let me tell you there were many many courses where I did just squeak by. But now, I seem to learn and and grasp concepts more easily (maybe because it’s more fun and logical as compared to Biology 101). Anywho, one more year of school….can’t believe I’ve been here for 2 years now…..I’m gettin’ old….
Well, it’s that time of year…..finals exams to write signifying the end of another term, beginning to get light when I leave the house in the morning at 6:15am and still light out at night when I come home at 6:15pm and of course the Stanley Cup Playoffs…..the bandwagon is boarding ladies and gentlemen….bring it home boys…bring it home……
Thing song “Kenji” is by a group called “Fort Minor”…..a solo project by Mike Shinoda, the former lead singer of Linkin Park. I just find this song so interesting because it’s a hip/hop rap song about the WW2 and the Japanese Internment Camps in the U.S……although his music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I enjoy it quite a bit and find this song especially intriguing.
I guess it’s quite obvious from the lack of posts that school is again in full swing. I’ve been trying to get some pictures from a classmate who has been taking photos to show some of the things we’ve been doing in class, hopefully I’ll get my hands on them soon.
Anywho, last term we worked with patients who were amputated below the knee and built braces for patients who lacked muscles below the knee. This term we are working with patients who are amputated above the knee and building braces for people who lack muscles below the hip.
Below is a video about Terry Fox who was amputated above the knee due to cancer. Now, this poses obvious difficulties in running….but here’s one that I never would have thought about……watching the video of Terry Fox running, why does he hop while he runs but doesn’t have to so much when he slows down?
It’s all in the knee joint….how do you flex the knee when you obviously have no muscle control on it? By swinging your hips…..so when he runs, he swings his hips with more force therefore flexing the knee more….so he has to hop on the good leg to wait for that foot on the amputated side to swing back forward so he can land on it……I can’t even imagine having to think about “Is my other foot ready to land on?” every step……makes it all more impressive on what amputees do on a daily basis.
In good ol’ Doug fashion, I brought in the New Year sick…..hopefully this is the only one of 2009. After much TV watching during these holidays, I’ve scoured every sports network and youtube to find some of the top sports plays of 2008. In no particular order:
What outfielder makes the catch, runs up the wall to high five the fan and then throws it in to get the double play….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z-7-SPNbkc
I remember watching this play unfold and thought that the game was over as Eli Manning was about to get sacked….what a beautiful sight to watch the Patriots lose their only game of the season…..the Superbowl.
