inMotion Magazine

Being Informed 9 What makes a hero a superhero? It starts with a story fit for a comic book hero. Jim DeWees was 19 when an X-ray identified a tumor in his foot. He was told that if it was cancer, amputation was the best course of treatment. Luckily, it was not malignant and soon after Jim spent two years on a mission in the Dominican Republic. While there, he saw many amputees, which reminded him of his own close call with amputation. Back in Utah after the mission, Jim finished his education and began work in pathology. Jim was leading a group of Boy Scouts on a winter ski trip when an accident resulted in a severe case of frostbite to his foot. After months of trying to save his foot, he was faced with losing his foot for the second time in his life. That’s when I met Jim. He was looking for an active amputee to talk to about life after losing a limb. After our conversation, Jim and his doctor decided the best option for him would be amputation. Not questioning his destiny, Jim returned to college to become a certified prosthetist. After completing his education and his residency, Jim opened his own prosthetic clinic. Even though he was busy helping many amputees in his clinic, Jim couldn’t stop thinking about the amputees in the Dominican. In 2004, Jim started a prosthetics mission for Dominican amputees. What started as a small personal mission soon grew, with the help of a local clinic in Santo Domingo, to deliver over 500 limbs to amputees. In the Dominican, Jim saw children on the street who had nowhere to call home. That experience led him to adopt his son Cameron, a child from China who was born without a hand. Cameron, now 16, is the joy of Jim’s life. Jim is also a strong advocate for other amputees as well, and he’s not afraid to challenge insurance companies to get patients access to the care they need. Recently, Jim was handed a new fight – he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Thankfully, the cancer is in remission and he is back to fighting for his patients, his son, the clinic in the Dominican Republic and all that he loves. Who is your amputee hero, and why? Whether they’re an amputee or not, the special person who inspires you to live well with limb loss can be a relative, a friend or someone you’ve never met. We invite you to send us an article (250 to 350 words) for consideration to be included in  inMotion. Email articles to: editor@amputee-coalition.org A Man With a Mission amputee hero by Jack Richmond