BY KATRINA PAULICK, Reporter

Scott Rigsby was an average 18-year-old  when a motor vehicle accident changed his life.

One day, while casually riding in the back of a pickup truck with friends, he was hit by a semi and thrown under its trailer, only to be dragged approximately 300 feet. Rigsby suffered many injuries, which led to the double amputation of his legs.

With a new way of life right before his eyes, Rigsby survived one of the most heart-wrenching accidents and became an inspiration to many.

Although this wasn’t something he could have imagined for himself, it’s his life story and it’s important to him that his story is heard. Rigsby’s passion for life and drive to overcome his disability is incredible. Having prosthetics doesn’t define him; it’s just another part of Rigsby that is unique.

Hanger Inc. states that more than 150,000 people every year in the United States receive some sort of prosthetic device, which shows how common prosthetics are becoming.

Rigsby did the unthinkable. He completed an Ironman in 2007 as the first double-amputee. Rigsby has changed many lives just by sharing his story and struggles throughout life.

Congenital Amputation

An estimated one in 2,000 babies are born without a limb or part of a limb each year, according to the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.

Congenital Amputation is the loss of a limb at birth. Most of these developmental defects occur within the first three months of pregnancy. Another aspect of Congenital Amputation may be the constriction of the amniotic bands of the fetus, causing a limb to not form properly or not at all.

Kids born with a missing limb or limbs don’t always choose to be fitted for prosthetics.

Approximately 1.7 million people in the United States are living with limb loss due to either amputation or a congenital condition.

Many just learn to continue with life without the limb, but those who do decide to get a prosthetic device and find it very useful.

As children grow and mature, their artificial part will need to be adjusted and assessed to see what kind of prosthetic will be most beneficial to them. This is thought to be a hassle, but if the child is struggling on their own then the additional doctor’s appointments and fittings are known to be worth it.

Appearance of Prosthetic

Although their appearance may be a little different from another child, their capabilities of achieving high success are just as equal.

In a recent article in the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics by Deirdre Desmond, BA (Mod), and Malcolm Maslachlan, PhD, noted that, individuals who have suffered a traumatic injury often experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and rates of clinical depression reported in outpatient settings range from 21 to 35 percent.

Prosthetic devices are often times costly to the average family, but there are many benefits of using prosthetics, including a more natural appearance and more control over the area of the body with the missing limb or part.

Often times the desire for prosthetics is due to their appearance. Those who are feeling self-conscious about how they look may have greater self-esteem and confidence when doing everyday activities having a prosthetic device instead of just a missing limb.

Former Abercrombie & Fitch employee Riam Dean worked at the popular retail clothing store. Dean, 22, was just starting a part time job at the U.S. firm’s flagship London store when she slowly kept getting demoted.

Dean had a prosthetic arm and would wear a white medical sleeve over the prostheses while at work.

Without any reason, she went from making sales with the customers to working behind the scenes in the stockroom. As time went on a co-workers and her manager informed her that she was violating the dress code and would only be able to work where customers would not be able to see her.

Dean filed a complaint to the corporation and then quit the job. Dean ended up suing the company and won her case. She was awarded $15,000 for the discrimination of the appearance of her prosthetic arm.

“I pride myself on being quite a confident girl but I had never experienced prejudice like that before, and it made me feel utterly worthless,” Dean said when pleading her case.

Although many artificial body parts don’t look exactly like the real thing, many people consider them more attractive and help to boost their confidence. Dean is capable of doing all the tasks  an average person can. She hopes that her story will stop the discrimination of someone else who uses prosthetic devices.

Rehabilitation

Physical therapy is also generally required so that patients can learn to properly control and care for their prosthetic devices. It is especially important when a limb is replaced.

Attending rehabilitation is crucial to the recovery of the injured patient. Not only physically but mentally it strengthens patients.

One of the hardest things to recover from mentally is accepting the new life ahead of them. Each day, physical therapy helps them trust their body again.

Physical strength is crucial to success, but mental strength is a necessity to life. As a patient comes to be completely rehabilitated and excels at the exercises, it is vital that they trust their body again.

Battling veterans 

Whether it’s a baby born without a limb or a soldier who has lost a leg in military combat, adjusting to life with prosthetics can be very overwhelming.

Many veterans of war who have lost limbs return home and are forced to adjust to their disability. The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) was established in hopes of maintaining and providing the health care needed amongst those who have served. The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development states that, although only two of seven servicemen return to combat after undergoing a traumatic amputation the VA provides care to all veterans.

Most people who undergo some sort of amputation later in life often times have the hardest time mentally accepting it. This is often hard because they now struggle with everyday tasks and can’t always be as independent before the tragedy.

Individuals with limb loss balance issues of pain, physical and psychological limitations with decisions about activities of daily living, use of prostheses, adaptive devices and wheeled mobility.

The Hanger Advantage

The Hanger Advantage, an organization to assist those with prosthetics, helps thousands of people each year become comfortable again with their new body.

The Hanger gives people their freedoms back by personally fitting each and every patient with a specialized prosthetic. This organization states that their goal is to “move people forward,” which is exactly what they succeed at doing.

Often times, these situations open up new doors, or gives a clear picture to help identify life purpose. The Hanger Advantage has benefitted many Americans to continue with life and to strive to reach their full potential.

Since Rigsby’s record-breaking title, he has written a book about his success and hardships. His book, “Unthinkable,” is an inspiring story and is an avenue to share his progress and prove that anyone can overcome tragedy to reach their dreams. Rigsby reminds us that he is very blessed and hopes to inspire all people to do the unthinkable.

Kaneland’s own

As a society we often times assume and judge a person strictly by their outer appearance before actually knowing them or their disability. Freshman Natalie Davis is the perfect illustration of a teenager who is disabled physically on the outside but internally she is just another common teen living a similar life as us all.

Davis was diagnosed at nine months with Cerebral Palsy Spasticity (CPS). An unbelievably large amount of kids are diagnosed each year with this disorder.

The Center of Cerebral Palsy said, Despite remarkable medical advances, the incidence of cerebral palsy has not decreased, with one out of 500 children being afflicted with the disorder.

According to Kids Health, CPS is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills (the ability to move in a coordinated and purposeful way). CPS is usually caused by brain damage that occurs before or during a child’s birth, or during the first three to five years of a child’s life.The brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy can also lead to other health issues, including vision, hearing, and speech problems, and learning disabilities.

At the age of 5, Davis had a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy in hopes to assist her physically. The surgery was successful and Davis now leads a very normal life with minimal complications.

When interviewed, Davis was asked, If she had one piece of advice for another teenager with this disability what would it be? she answered, “Don’t let these types of things get to you, just keep going. They will get better.”

Davis struggles each day with getting through the crowded halls and navigating her way to class. With great courage Davis makes her way around with very little assistance at school, and then proceeds with the rest of her day just to face more complications at home.

“Working with Natalie has been a wonderful learning experience and has taught me that overcoming a disability requires beating many obstacles, but watching Natalie break those limitations each day is truly inspiring,” aide Lisa Hermansson said.

Luckily, Kaneland has some accommodations that have been a great help to Davis. With the rapid technology growth and discoveries, the way students learn or use resources has begun to help ease the stress of struggles they may face.

For instance, Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) 12 Premium Student/Teacher Edition is now available on certain computers in the building.  This resource has fortunately been brought to Kaneland High School to help aid some students.

“I like how natural it becomes after using it for just a short amount of time,” said Davis. Created by Nuance Communications, Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) has been a great help to Davis.

DNS is software that uses voice recognition to type on the computer. Statistics have shown that speaking into the microphone is three times faster than actually typing.

This device helps capture the exact wording a student might use, but also helps to give students more confidence in writing.

In order to have the software recognize the voice of the user this windows program needs to be trained. Through a few simple steps Dragon Speak will be trained specifically to the user.

Once the program has been trained, it’s as simple as speaking into the microphone and the words spoken will appear on the computer screen.

DNS is programmed to dictate the words spoken and to complete the command given. For example, the user can command the mouse to open a file, or download a program.

“My occupational therapist mentioned this program to me to help me to write exactly what I am saying,” Davis said.

It’s incredibly easy to use and really helps many students and tons of people in their careers.

With up to 99 percent voice dictation Dragon Naturally Speaking is very reliable, but if it does make a mistake, edits are quick and easy.  A simple command to change a word or add another word is all that would need to be said.

Davis is very independent and capable of doing most tasks on her own but simply using DNS has helped her to complete assignments more efficient.

She continues to make the most out of her disability each and every day, and never lets it slow her down. With great desire just to be ordinary, Davis is an exceptionally brave teen who is determined to beat her disability.