`Let Them Walk Again' - UW Prosthetics and Orthotics Graduate Student Will Hike 2,650 Mile Pacific Crest Trail to Raise Funds for Vietnamese Amputees.

Health/Medical Writers & Assignment Editors

SEATTLE--(BW HealthWire)--June 10, 2002

Prosthetics Outreach Foundation is proud to announce a special initiative.

This summer, Peter Springs, who will soon graduate from the University of Washington Prosthetics & Orthotics Program, will hike the full length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada to raise funds for women and children in Vietnam who have lost their limbs to war, landmines or other misfortunes. The Pacific Crest Trail is a grueling journey of 2,650 miles that will take Peter through three western states and five climate zones from the searing heat of the California desert, through the vast expanse of the Sierra Nevada and into the volcanic peaks and glaciers of the Cascade Mountain range.

"My goal is to raise $300 for every mile that I hike, the average cost of an artificial limb in Vietnam," says Peter, "so that I can help one amputee walk again for every mile that I hike. 2,650 miles hiked, 2,650 lives changed."

Whereas the prosthetic needs of predominately male war veterans in Vietnam are, by and large, being met, civilian amputees, especially women and children living in rural, remote areas, continue to lack access to quality prosthetic care. Almost thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, there are still an estimated 3.5 million landmines in Vietnam and every year more than 2,000 Vietnamese are injured by unexploded bombs, landmines and artillery shells. The absence of a health insurance system and widespread poverty frequently prevent women and children from obtaining the prosthetic care they need. Indeed, with a per-capita income of just over one dollar a day and even less in the countryside, many women and children simply cannot afford decent prosthetic care -- hence Peter's special initiative.

Peter will begin his life-changing hike on June 12, 2002, at the US-Mexican border. He will hike for 4-5 months. Peter will know that with every step he takes he will help another woman or child to walk again. By doing so, he will restore their ability to work again or to attend school and will contribute to changing a life of dependence on charity and family to one of independence and self-reliance. To learn more about Peter's journey or to make a donation, please visit www.pofsea.org/news/walkagain.html.

Prosthetics Outreach Foundation (POF), a Seattle-based nonprofit organization, will provide the prosthetic care for Vietnamese women and children amputees with the funds raised through this initiative. POF was founded in 1989 by world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ernest Burgess (1911-2000) who is remembered for his innovations in amputation surgery. With POF, Dr. Burgess pioneered the use of computer-based artificial limb fabrication technology in developing countries, notably in Vietnam, providing amputees with high-quality, custom-fit prostheses. In addition to its direct clinical service program, POF is providing technical assistance to support the sustainable development and manufacturing of quality prosthetic components in Vietnam.

Since 1989, POF has helped more than 12,000 men, women and children to walk again. POF currently has active prosthetics programs in Vietnam and Bangladesh, and is looking to expand its services to other developing countries, such as Afghanistan and war-torn countries in Africa. For more information about POF programs and services, please visit the POF web site at www.pofsea.org.