C-LegŪ In the U.S. 5 Years Reaches New Heights
History will be made when the first above-the-knee amputee to fly for the Air Force takes off from Andrews Air Force Base in October. A Gulf War veteran, Lt. Colonel Andrew Lourake was a special air missions pilot with duties that included flying the Vice President, until he injured his leg in an off road motorcycle accident. After enduring seventeen subsequent surgeries, including two knee replacement surgeries, Colonel Lourake's research led him to conclude his only hope to return to the cockpit was an above-the-knee amputation in combination with being fit with the world's first completely computer-controlled artificial leg, the C-LegŪ, manufactured by Minneapolis, MN-based Otto Bock HealthCare.
Though his amputation was performed just two years ago, following intensive simulator, medical and mobility testing Colonel Lourake this summer received clearance to fly from the Surgeon General of the Air Force. As President Bush is quoted in the attached Andrews AFB publication, "Americans would be surprised to learn that a grievous injury such as the loss of a limb, no longer means forced discharge. In other words, the medical care is so good and the recovery process is so technologically advanced that people are no longer forced out of the military."
Also notable is Colonel Lourake's devotion to amputee peer support at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Visiting there 2-3 times a week since injured began arriving from overseas, he offers encouragement to soldiers who have recently lost limbs and shows by example they can attain goals they might not have thought possible. As the first U.S. service member to be fitted with the C-Leg, he holds a high level of credibility.
Coinciding with Colonel Lourake's first flight is the five year anniversary of the C-Leg's arrival in the U.S. Though doubts were expressed about the C-Leg's chance of success, since 1999 more than 5,000 users of all ages have experienced an improved quality of life, and the C-Leg's proven technology has also meant its adoption as a recognized standard of care for the U.S. military.
There's now no question the C-Leg way of walking is here to stay. In fact, even flying isn't out of the question.
For more information, visit the C-Leg page.
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*Established in 1958, Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Otto Bock HealthCare is the North and South American corporate headquarters of Otto Bock Healthcare, GmbH, based in Duderstadt, Germany. The leading international prosthetic and orthotic manufacturer, Otto Bock has more than 3,600 employees worldwide and produces over 20,000 types of prosthetic and orthotic components, rehabilitation products and technical plastics, and also provides information technology services. (www.ottobockus.com)
