Walking again
with Beacon Bone & Joint
With the right team, anything is possible.
Laurie has been part of a farming family for more than 35 years. And beyond the farm, she’s an experienced and enthusiastic hiker.
“Being outdoors – it’s God’s country. It’s beautiful, it’s peaceful, it’s unplugged. I love being active. I’m an avid hiker, and I try to do 100 miles every year.”
So when a combine accident amputated her left leg at the hip and most of her left arm, she knew she was in trouble. But as Laurie was flown to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, she realized that with prosthetics, experts can do almost anything. Her optimism increased tenfold when she met her surgeon from Beacon Bone & Joint. “The first time I met Dr. Mamczak, when they rolled me into the ER, he was the first one that walked up to me, introduced himself and said he was a trauma surgeon from Afghanistan. I looked at him and said, ‘All right, let’s go, you know what you’re doing.’ I just knew I was in the best hands for this job.”
Determination and the team to meet it
From the moment she entered the hospital, Laurie was determined to gain back what she had lost. While her team was quick to address her most urgent needs, they also knew Laurie wanted to walk again – so they planned to make that happen. First, she would need a prosthetic, and with her amputation, that wasn’t guaranteed.
“There’s only one percent of this type of amputation that can even get a prosthetic,” Laurie said. “Thanks to the team at Beacon Bone & Joint, I am part of the one percent.”
Just two days after receiving her artificial limb, Laurie was on a treadmill. Since then, she’s been on some short hikes, but her goal is to hike 100 miles again. She knows that she will – and that the experts at Beacon Bone & Joint will help her get there.
“Beacon Bone & Joint is where I would go for anything. Those doctors there … they were all amazing. I know they’re going to be there for me. They did everything right. You can’t do all that without a team behind you.”
The people at Beacon Bone & Joint … they encourage me. These people encourage me and made me feel lucky to be part of them, that they were the ones helping me. They mean a lot to me.
–Laurie
Help Us Keep Life-changing Care Close to Home
Beacon Health Foundation’s focus is a direct outgrowth of Beacon Health System’s deep commitment to enhancing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the communities we serve. Our tax exempt identification number is 35-1536129.
*The quotations provided in this article are part of a testimonial from Laurie; a patient at Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists.
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