Physical Health Guatemala Project #22698

High-tech prosthetics for 75 Guatemalan amputees

by Range Of Motion Project NFP

Project Report | May 18, 2017
I survived the Ecuadorian Earthquake

By Elizabeth Neufeld | Vice President Of Strategy

To our incredible supporters,

It is because of you that the Range Of Motion team in Ecuador was able to help individuals who were injured in the Ecuadorian earthquake in 2016. We would like to share a few of those stories here, as they have recently received their devices and are moving forward with their lives.

BURGOS MIELES HOMERO ARNULFO actually lost his leg to diabetes in 2014, but was stuck in the earthquake and because he did not have a prosthetic device was barely able to get himself out of the rubble. He found one of his daughters and helped bring her to safety, despite his lack of mobility. He has an above the knee amputation and is trying to keep his diabetes under control. He is so grateful for the support of the ROMP donors who have made this prosthesis possible.

OLGA MARIA lost her mother and brother in the earthquake. Her father is still recovering from injuries and is walking with a cane. He has a bad infection on this foot, which is being monitored. They are both trying hard to proces all of the loss. Olga had her amputation on Aug 10, 2016, after she recovered from other injuries. She wants to have a family and move on with her live. She says after the earthquake, she is living "a new life" and is focused on other people. She just finished her first semester in school and wants to become a scientist.

When ROMP experienced the earthquake on April 16, 2016, we knew immediately that we would have to jump into action. We just didn't know when, where, or how our services would be used. Historically, we knew that earthquakes of this magnitude, which devastated cities and communities, result in large number of amputations. So we waited. And while we waited, we made plans.

These plans included:

GOAL #1: Engage our community in our efforts of support through component donations and monetary donations

GOAL #2:. Be the primary point of treatment in collaboration with Fundacion Hermano Miguel for any earthquake victims in need of prosthetic and orthotic care

GOAL #3. Find out how many amputees/devices we will need to provide and develop timeline of treatment

GOAL #4: Sustain operations and donations to ensure that patients are able to receive follow up care

We have been able to achieve all of these goals and we continue to hear about individuals in need of prosthetic care as a result of the earthquake. These individuals are experiencing the long term impact of sustained injuries.

Because of your support, we will continue to meet the needs of these individuals.

Links:

Video of Manta Patients

Permalink

Feb 17, 2017
ROMP patient, Elba, runs again!

By Elizabeth Neufeld | Vice President of Strategy and Growth

Elba Running=Freedom

As told by Oliver Leung with the Huffington Post in an article about ROMP: "We often take our mobility for granted because it’s available. Our mobility allows us to explore. It allows us to express our physical freedom. So when our mobility is stripped from us, so is our freedom."

When Elba, a ROMP patient, came into the ROMP clinic two years ago, she stated she wanted to run again. This would require first that Elba learned to walk with a prosthetic device, which as she stated "she never believed she would be able to afford". It would also require that ROMP volunteers locate specialized donated parts, specific for running, which could fit Elba's small size and be customized to enable her to run.

After a few months, a running leg and foot came in to ROMP through the Components For A Cause Program, which recycles gently used prosthetic devices from the US and uses them to help patients at one of our four clinic sites. When this device was sent to ROMP, the team knew right away that it was a potential match for Elba and within a few weeks, a team of practitioners brought it down to Guatemala for her to try. After a successful fitting, Elba was off and running within minutes.

The freedom that comes as a result of this movement, had the entire ROMP team in tears. Seeing Elba's face reminded the team how powerful mobility is to everyone, not just those with compromised mobility.

“Prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces are not simply medical devices, but instruments of personal empowerment.”

We are so grateful for the support of our generous donors, who make dreams like "learning to run again" possible and help us bring the right technologies to the right people. ROMP would not exist without your contributions. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Elba trying out the track

Links:

http://www.rompglobal.org

Permalink

Nov 22, 2016
Empowerment Through Mobility=ROMP

By Elizabeth Neufeld | Vice President Of Strategy and Growth

When the ROMP staff received an email last February, which stated that GoPro was considering ROMP for their GoPro for a Cause campaign, we thought it might be a hoax. Since 2005, ROMP has remained fairly "under the radar" and without a significant marketing budget, we had always lacked the ability to attact the attention of these high-level brands.

After months of pitching, preperation, and patient story development, GoPro producers and ROMP staff were meeting in Guatemala to both interview and film some of ROMP's most inspirational patients. These patients went on film in their most vulnerable states and told their story for the world to hear.

This December, GoPro will show these films on their website and embedded on rompglobal.org. ROMP will also be hosting three special events in San Francisco, Chicago, and Denver, which will highlight the films and bring our supporters together to learn more about ROMP.

One of the patients shown in these short films, is Luisa, who is a female firefighter in Zacapa, Guatemala, in the same town as the ROMP lab. Luisa lost her leg in a motorcycle and after the accident she became depressed and was unable to leave the house.

But after a few months, she found her way to the ROMP clinic. She was reluctant to go, but she says within the first few minutes of her fitting, she felt "whole again".

After this trip with GoPro, ROMP successfully hosted our 9th "ROMPtober" medical trip to our Guatemala facility. This special blend of education, field work, and research brings clinicians, students, and local ROMP staff together to provide high quality care to patients in need. This year we were particularly excited to host students from two O&P masters programs - Loma Linda and Baylor College of Medicine - as well as prosthetists and physical therapists from Chicago, Boston, and Quito, Ecuador

It is because of the generous support of our donors, like you, that ROMP is able to provide services to people like Luisa. We are proud to work with such incredibly supportive and generous indvidiuals throughout the year, who care for our patients and want to see them succeed.

Luisa now reports to the ROMP staff that she is active, back at work, happy, and has a new outlook on life. She attributes this change to be able to be mobile again.

While we look toward the holiday season and think about all of the things we are grateful for as an organization, we look toward our patients and are full of gratittude for their strength and determination. We feel grateful to be able to help them along their journey. This is true "empowerment through mobility".

Luisa

Links:

http://rompglobal.org

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.