New Arm- Part 5 (Officially Finished)

Thanks for walking with me through the tedious process of getting a new prosthetic arm. I’ve enjoyed sharing the experience with you.

Do you remember as a kid standing ankle-deep in a cold pool of water? You wanted to swim more than anything. You knew you were going to jump in soon. But you hesitated because the water was freezing. Finally you said, “One, two, three, go!” and jumped.

That’s how I feel when I get a new prosthesis. I’m glad I have it. I know it has improvements over the former arm. But I hesitate wearing it because I know what is coming. My life won’t feel normal for a while. Instead of subconsciously moving, I will be aware of every move. I may have to change the actions of my shoulders, back, and upper arms some. The harness will touch my skin in new places, causing irritation and sometimes pain. It won’t be pleasant. So I have to say, “One, two, three, go!” and jump.

4/13/17- When I arrived at Fourroux Prosthetics, the final lamination of the upper arm was completed.

During this 8-hour appointment:

• The harness was permanently attached to the prosthesis.
• The harness straps were adjusted.
• Areas of the harness that rubbed my skin were covered with moleskin or padding.
• The hand grip was tightened.
• The cosmetic PVC glove was put on the hand to cover the mechanical parts. (PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride.)
• The arm was OFFICIALLY FINISHED and I was able to take it home with me!

After wearing the arm for a few days, I realized two straps were too tight and needed to be replaced. I returned to Fourroux on 5/18/17 for the minor changes. I was on the road leading tours in May and June. Looks like July is my month to JUMP!

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“You created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do” (Jeremiah 32:17 MSG).

 

Read “New Arm- Part 1 (Picking Out Body Parts)” HERE.
Read “New Arm- Part 2 (Designing the Arm)” HERE.
Read “New Arm- Part 3 (Building the Arm)” HERE.
Read “New Arm- Part 4 (Pausing to Get It Right)” HERE.

Purple Heels

(A devotional thought from the book One Smile, One Heart)

The words of a stranger poisoned my teenage heart.

I had finished my four-hour shift in the shoe department at Target. I was feeling good. It was payday and I had a date in a few hours. I decided to try on the pair of purple heels I had been eyeing all morning. They would stylishly match my purple skirt. I slipped on the right shoe and admired it in the floor mirror. As I bent down to put on the left shoe, I sensed someone moving into my personal space. I glanced up to see an older woman stop beside me. I stood and backed away a few steps.

“What happened to your arm?” she blurted.

I was used to that question so I smiled and said, “I was born with one arm.”

But the stranger didn’t return the smile. She just kept standing there, staring at me, staring at my prosthetic arm. I took another step back.

Finally she spoke. “Well, someone in your family must have done something really bad for you to have been born with an arm like that.” Then the woman turned and walked out of the shoe department.

I stood motionless in the purple heels, watching her walk away.

Perhaps the poisonous words had gurgled in the stranger’s heart for a long time, waiting for exactly the right recipient. When she spotted me, she lurched into action—because I was perfect—young, vulnerable, impressionable. She heaved and the burning words expelled from her heart and spewed all over me. Did the woman feel relief? Did she feel contentment? Did she feel regret? Did she feel anything?

The thought that my arm could be a punishment had never entered my mind. My parents always told me I was special, that God made me the way I was for a reason. I accepted that and never questioned it. But now I was standing in purple shoes, drenched in poisonous words. They didn’t drip off like water; they stuck on like acid. They ate through my skin and oozed into my heart.

I bought the purple heels. I went on my date. I continued going to school and to work and to church and to extra-curricular activities. Life as a teenager was a new adventure and I was happy. Until bedtime… when the room turned dark each night… and I grew still… and my world became quiet… and I felt the gurgling of the poisonous words in my heart.

From childhood I was drawn to the inspiring verses and stories within the Bible. Even at a young age I read it almost daily and set personal goals to memorize parts of it. I escaped often to the shore of my grandpa’s pond where I kept a small Bible in a plastic bag under an overturned canoe. It was there, soon after my encounter with the stranger, that I stumbled upon the words in John Chapter 9.

As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:1-3 NIV).

My mouth fell open. I read the story again. I couldn’t believe the clarity of the words on the page! They were a direct message of explanation from my Heavenly Father to me. My arm was not a punishment issued to my family for doing something horrible. My arm was part of a plan to bring glory to God! I had been chosen to display God’s work to the world. What an honor.

That night as I lay still in the darkness and quiet, I felt no gurgling in my heart. Only joy.

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“Above all else, guard your HEART, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).

New Arm- Part 4 (Pausing to Get It Right)

For those who might be interested, I invite you to walk with me through the tedious process of getting a new prosthetic arm. I’m journaling the steps and my experiences along the way. You can interact with me by sharing thoughts and comments, if you wish.

Most people hate the hassle of returning purchased items to a store or company. Well, you should try returning a hand! In New Arm- Part 3 I returned my hand to Fourroux Prosthetics because it made an unbearable noise when I operated it. Over six months later, the issue was resolved!

It was not the fault of the dedicated staff at Fourroux. They sent the hand to Hosmer, the manufacturer, three times. Each time, Hosmer lubricated the interior mechanisms and sent the hand back to Fourroux, still making the grinding sound. In the end Hosmer offered to replace the hand when the next batch was made. That took several months.

3/7/17- I arrived at Fourroux Prosthetics in Huntsville, Alabama, at 9 a.m.

• Caitlin (Prosthetic Resident) installed the new hand and cabling from Hosmer onto my new arm. I put the arm on and tested the hand. Complete silence! Oh, it sounded nice.
• With that problem solved, the outer lamination can be applied. This step takes a full day and I do not have to be present. The lamination will be matched to my skin color and will cover up (bury) many of the brackets and cables, giving the upper and lower arm a smooth look.
• We are getting SO CLOSE to completion! Take a look at these final “Before Lamination” pictures.

Thanks for walking with me through this process. What are your thoughts about the pausing phase?

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“Handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!” (Proverbs 8:21 MSG)

Read “New Arm- Part 1 (Picking Out Body Parts)” HERE.
Read “New Arm- Part 2 (Designing the Arm)” HERE.
Read “New Arm- Part 3 (Building the Arm)” HERE.