inMotion Magazine

Living Free 17 This summer, the Range of Motion Project (ROMP) is climbing mountains – by walking, hiking, biking, swimming, really anything to get mobile – to give the gift of mobility and help amputees get back on their feet to climb whatever mountains they face on a daily basis, metaphorical and physical. ROMP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing prosthetic care to amputees in Latin America and the United States who do not otherwise have access. In developing countries, amputation is much more prevalent, due to the lack of good, consistent healthcare and limited access to rehabilitative services and technology. So much so that 80 percent of the world’s amputees live in developing countries and less than 5 percent of those individuals have access to prosthetic care, according to the World Health Organization. ROMP is changing this statistic. Formed in 2005 by David Krupa, Eric Neufeld and Josh Kaplan, ROMP was created with the vision to provide high‑quality prosthetic care to amputees unable to get the proper care they needed. ROMP refurbishes donated components, purchases new components and even creates components to help get patients mobile again. ROMP also believes that prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces are not simply medical devices, but instruments of personal empowerment and aims to educate the world about the power of mobility, the importance of access to prosthetic care and the international importance of legislation protecting rights for people with disabilities. ROMP operates the largest prosthetic component recycling program in the world, where more than 3,400 devices have been donated for patients in Latin America and the U.S. ROMP operates two full-time clinics in Quito, Ecuador and Zacapa, Guatemala, and has conducted over 9,350 patient visits since 2005. ROMP also operates a mobile clinic that brings CLIMBING MOUNTAINS: Nonprofit ROMP Provides Prosthetic Care for Hundreds of Amputees By Kendra Walker