Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys®: Fellow motorcycle rider on crusade to get prosthetics to kids in need.
Tampa resident, Steve Chamberland, first made a name for himself as a professional wrestler. These days, however, he is better known as the man who helps kids get the prosthetic legs they need. Steve is the big heart behind 50 Legs, a non-profit organization on a mission to get prosthetics to children in need.
Chamberland understands that losing a limb is a life-altering experience; he lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident in 1999 when a car struck him. In May 2011, a friend shared a story with him about a 9 year-old girl who lost her leg while saving her sister’s life. Steve was inspired by this little girl’s bravery and was moved to help her somehow.
He convinced his own prosthetic doctor to work with him and together they traveled to Georgia to present the little girl with a new prosthetic leg. For Steve, the look on the girl’s face was all the thanks he needed. “The joy I felt in that moment drives me to this day”, he says.
The latest recipient is four year-old Ireland Nugent. Her feet had to be amputated after her legs got caught in lawn mower blades. Chamberland made contact with her family through social media and has pledged to keep little Ireland fitted with the prosthetics she will need for the rest of her life.
This is no small commitment. Prosthetics are costly, ranging anywhere from $7,000- $40,000, for a below the knee to a full-leg prostheses and insurance may pay little or none of that cost or charge expensive co-pays. It is especially challenging for parents of growing children who may have to be fitted every year for a new prostheses.
This is where 50 Legs helps out. Parents who cannot bear the financial burden, for whatever reason, can go to Steve’s web-site and fill out an application for assistance.
The organization stays funded by hosting golf tournaments and through private donations of cash and used prostheses. Steve’s current goal is to share fifty legs with fifty kids, and he is certainly on his way. The charity’s web-site is filled with pictures of smiling children who are walking again, thanks to Steve’s help.
Update: Steve Chamberland has committed to helping the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Many of the 170 victims have lost limbs and Chamberland and 50 Legs are doing everything they can to help. To find out how you can help head to 50legs.org.
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