inMotion Magazine

November | December 2017 12 Your story is uniquely your own and deserves to be heard. AMPLIFY was created to make sure that happens – to add power to your message and passion to the community’s voice. Think about how good it feels to have someone deeply listen to what’s on your mind. Someone who really gets it. Now plug that into a giant ‘80s hair band amp – set at 10 . That’s the spirit of Amplify. The ultimate purpose is very targeted: to educate insurers and legislators – the people making decisions that directly impact people living with limb loss and limb difference – about what is important. Like access to healthcare. Like getting the medical devices and services that help you live well with limb loss. Like making it quicker and easier to get the support needed to live the life you choose. In March 2017, we went live with AmplifyYourself.org , a simple Web site that lets you use three powerful tools to tell your story. 1. Write Your Insurer. This groundbreaking tool lets you input your insurer’s name and your contact information, identifies the company president and medical director, and lets you complete a letter with details of any insurance challenges you are facing. Whether your care is outright denied, delayed or limited, you can take it to the executive level and explain why access to care is so important. In just a few minutes you can speak out, letting your insurer know that limbs are not a luxury, knowing that your letter is getting to someone who can impact your case, as well as policies and processes overall. 2. Write Your Legislator. We have created letters related to budget and healthcare reform issues, along with an introduction to help highlight the issues that are most relevant to living with limb loss. There is also an area for you to add your personal message. Finally, the letters are sent directly to the individuals who represent you. We update the letters as votes are anticipated, too, to make sure your voice is heard in a timely way. 3. Share Your Story. The third section is a simple way to share your story. Wherever you are on your journey, your story will make an impact on others. It is important for people to understand more about living with limb loss or limb difference. Limb loss affects people across the country, in every walk of life. From firefighters to schoolchildren, from teachers to grandparents, the face of limb loss is a varied one. AMPLIFY has made a difference in the past months. Nearly 1,500 people have written letters. Dozens of people have posted their story. People have spent 16,701 minutes visiting AmplifyYourself.org , reading stories and sharing their own. But why is all this important? And how should you be involved? If policymakers at insurance companies and in our legislators don’t fully realize the impact their decisions have on people living with limb loss, the community’s needs won’t be well-understood and factored into future decisions. When the impact of those decisions remains a column of numbers or black and white letters on the page, it is easier to downplay the results. When the impact of decisions is defined in terms of a human life – the inability to get to work, to live independently, or to do something as simple as safely carrying your child – then the policy details become much more real. Please join us in carrying those real-life stories to policymakers everywhere. Whether you write your insurer, your legislator, or simply share your story, you will make a difference. Our individual stories are powerful, and together, they can be an unstoppable force. TURNING IT ON by Karen Lundquist