inMotion Magazine

Being Powerful 3 You survived the illness, infection or injury that threatened to take your life. But winning that battle meant losing a limb. At first, the victory may taste bittersweet as you face the emotional and physical challenges of rehabilitation. Reclaiming your old life may seem like an impossible goal when it takes so much time to relearn basic life tasks, such as taking a shower or driving a car. How can you possibly think of bowling with your buddies when a simple trip to the grocery store has become an obstacle course? Yet, living a full life requires being with friends and family, watching your child’s soccer game, or going to work. The things we do define and give purpose to life. Would an amputee ever wish the experience of losing a limb upon someone else? Not likely. Yet many are able to say that, since recovering from their amputation, they have become more than they ever were before. The world has opened up to them in amazing new ways. They feel a wholeness that they never felt before. And they will tell you they wouldn’t trade that sense of well-being, even if it meant they could get their limb(s) back! Residing in such a full state of living indicates some important things. It means one must have healed sufficiently well to be substantially free of pain. It also means someone can learn to actually grow through such a life-changing event. These individuals know that they are forever altered, but they do not feel “damaged.” This experience of completeness within oneself means that no matter where you go, you do not feel cut apart from the human race – that wherever you are, you belong . Getting to this place of “belonging” is most easily accomplished through a membership with people like you, as if part of an exclusive club. Joining a supportive community like the Amputee Coalition can be one of the most powerful tools for recovery. Knowing that other people have gone through a similar experience, and learning from them, can be an invaluable source of encouragement, information, inspiration and advice. A new sense of identity is forged through a mirroring with others like you, a reflection of complete understanding and acceptance. I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words. ~Ann Hood, author Editor’s Message BEING POWERFUL ~ Bill Dupes, Editor-in-Chief THE POWER OF BELONGING