Airborne Amputees Complete Their Inaugural Jump

Jannuary 1, 2008

Leaping into the open air and plummeting toward the earth at 120 miles per hour did not intimidate eight members of the Airborne Amputees in their inaugural jump on Nov. 10, 2007. Sponsored by the Amputee and Prosthetic Center in Houston, eight amputees and 20 employees of the center made the jump as a symbol of hope for amputees across the world.

The Amputee and Prosthetic Center of Houston employees join the Airborne Amputees to show support for their patients.	Fred Winter, an 89-year-old World War II veteran, comes in for a soft landing without his prosthesis.	Tony Korjagin, CP, makes last minute adjustments to the prosthesis of Wendy Ledbetter before her jump.

The idea for Airborne Amputees originated from a simple challenge. A challenge laid down by prosthetist Ben Falls, CP to his amputee patient, Jody Wallace. Wallace had skydived before she lost her limb in a car accident 5 years ago, but was hesitant to jump as an amputee. Falls challenged Wallace to skydive with him, but she refused. Her previous skydiving encounter ended when she hit the ground hard, and her instructor toppled on top of her.

Wallace eventually accepted the challenge, convinced others to do the same, and the Airborne Amputees was created.

According to Joe Sansone, chief executive officer of the Amputee and Prosthetic Center, the first annual Airborne Amputee event almost didn't get off the ground. The day before their scheduled event, an employee of the skydiving company the Airborne Amputees were diving with lost his life in a jump when his parachute failed to open.

The event was not cancelled, but after the news broke, the original list of nearly 30 amputee skydivers dwindled down to eight. Those remaining eight conquered their fears, loaded onto a plane, and safely made their jump. They proved to themselves, and to the spectators, that life is not over after amputation.

Airborne Amputee Event Thrills

The first Airborne Amputee skydiving event, sponsored by The Amputee & Prosthetic Center of Houston, Texas, and others, was a thrill for eight amputees, most of whom made their first jumps November 10 in Rosharon, Texas.

The participants of the Airborne Amputee event represent 'regular people' who have never been skydiving but want to demonstrate their independence and illustrate that lifeis not over after amputation, according to event organizers. They are skydiving to express their independence and show the determination that helped them overcome the obstacles of losing a limb.

"Words cannot describe the sense of empowerment and accomplishment that Airborne Amputees felt after their jumps," said Joe Sansone, CEO of The Amputee & Prosthetic Center.

The amputees took part in tandem jumps, Sansone stressed, noting that some practitioners warned of the potential for fractured femurs, blown-out knees, and shattered prostheses. Sansone said that the "best and most experienced" assistants jumped with the amputees, and all landings were smooth.

The event suffered from some unfortunate timing. An employee from Skydive Spaceland, the facility used for the jumps, died in a skydiving accident the day before. Most of the nearly 30 amputees who had agreed to participate backed out after hearing of the accident.

But those who took the leap had a blast. "I am ready to go again!" skydiver Richard Lockley told the Houston Chronicle.