We are ending our year by celebrating the wonderful things that happened at Optimus in 2020. Take a minute to see a handful of the amazing accomplisments of our patients this year!

From Stubbies to Walking How our patient with bilateral above-knee amputations is reminding us to embrace life’s second chances and to accept the help around us

Richie’s near-death experience and second chance at life happened on May 22nd, 2019; when after a decade of battling opioid addiction, he overdosed. He was down for a minimum of twelve hours. Following that, Richie spent three months in various hospitals while doctors struggled to manage blood supply and vascular issues. Ultimately, however, he would lose three limbs..... Read More 

Bringing Joy Through Barbies How our above knee amputee patient's positive attitude is allowing her to conquer personal goals and light up kid's lives with Barbie Dolls

Meet Optimus’ patient Sheri! Sheri is a now retired advertising analyst for a media company, fierce Seahawks lover, and proud dog mom to her 13 year old pup! She also is a right, above knee amputee since October of 2018. After a bad fall at home that resulted in a broken femur, Sheri ultimately had to make the tough decision to amputate because after 6 months of healing, her knee froze, refusing to bend. Her surgery and recovery were not easy as she ended up with four additional surgeries Read More

Patient Becomes a Published Author Kendra Herber wrote her first book, attended book signings, appeared on podcasts, and interviewed other well known amputees. You can find it all on her blog below. Imagine having to make the choice to cut off your daughter's foot. That is the decision Kendra Herber's parents were faced with when she was born with a malformed foot. After years of indecision, the family agreed that amputation was the best.... Read More Paralympian Grace Norman Races Again After over a year of waiting to race a triathalon and many canceled races, Optimus' patient Grace Norman is back to racing! Heres a little update on Grace's recent triathalon from her mom: "Grace and her teammates were the first to hit the water at 7:00am. She put down a solid swim coming out of the water 2nd behind a male teammate. The bike was fun and fast as they actually biked laps on the Daytona Speedway Track. After the bike, out on the run, she stated that she felt Great!At the conclusion of the race, Grace finished 2nd female overall. She was just 1 second back from winning! Her official 5K time was 18:04... a lifetime PR in the 5K, and she did that after the swim and coming off a hard bike! She and her coach are excited that training is paying off, and her eyes are now set on trying to run a 17:45 off the bike."

Patient Returns to Work Taking a peek at a patient's past to appreciate all he has accomplished this year!

The video below from 2019 shows the incredible amount of progress our patient Barry has made. Since this video, he has been able to return to his full time job and former position as a maintenance worker at a plastic/injection molding plant, return to working on vehicles, going deer hunting (bow-hunting, climbing tree stands), parenting, taking care of his dog, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, home maintenance, and yardwork (push-mower, weed-whacking, trimming shrubs, going up a ladder to clean gutters) all within a year. What a difference a year can make!

What a year it has been! Like others around the globe, our office and staff have had to make adjustments and impliment new procedures in order to safely serve patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite this year being unprecedented, our patients carried on with determinination, reslliance, and a lot of heart. We undoubtedly serve the best patient population and are looking forward to continuing another year of walking alongside patients and helping them acheive mobility for their lifetimes. We anticipate with enthusiasm all 2021 has to offer each patient we serve! Enjoy the Holiday Season! The Optimus Team

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