Written by Robert Wise, PDA’s VIC Director
I recently travelled to Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Adelaide is known as the city of churches and for the natural green belt that surrounds the city. It’s also known to have an easy-going lifestyle.
My visit to Adelaide was to enjoy this and to also attend the National Amputee Conference, which is held every 2 years and hosted by Limbs 4 Life Australia. This was my second visit to this event. My first was the last one, held in Melbourne – my home city. I enjoyed it and the connections I made so much, that I promised myself that I would attend the next one – wherever it was held. And so I did.
The conference was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, a great venue with good accessibility great staff. This year the conference was attended by 300+ from all corners of the country, and included all types of amputees and those who support them.
Limbs 4 Life Australia is a peak organisation for upper and lower limb amputees, and provides services to them, their families and caregivers and support before and after amputation. You can find out more at https://www.limbs4life.org.au
The national Amputee conference is known as AMPedUp and enables all amputees and those who support them find out about the latest in prosthetics, hear talks by healthcare professionals, better understand legal matters, learn about available Assisted Technology and listen to some amazing presenters sharing their struggles with limb loss.
There were also many networking opportunities for attendees over morning teas, lunches and afternoon teas, also allowing friendships to be made and stories and struggles with limb loss to be shared. It was also great to check out the many exhibitors showcasing the latest in prosthetics, wheelchairs, and vast array of healthcare providers. A converted car was also on display by Brazier Mobility, which drew a lot of attention.
Image 1 Exhibitors display
Image 2 Returning from Afternoon Tea
Of most interest to me was attending presentations from numerous speakers who shared their stories and the experiences they had in dealing with limb loss, in terms not just of their own struggles but also those of their families – and especially their children.
One of presenters Kylie, provided her perspective as a congenital amputee. She recounted stories around parenting and her ability to perform everyday tasks (such as hanging out clothes to dry or changing nappies). She also spoke of her childhood where adaptation and problem-solving were emphasised over limitations. Kylie also mentioned her absence of phantom limb pain, a striking contrast to many attendees’ experiences, which highlighted the differences between congenital and acquired limb loss.
Another presenter and his wife shared their experiences following their involvement in a transport accident whilst overseas, and how they dealt with the barriers created by their children being back home in Australia. Their presentation titled ‘Why Us?’ is also the title of their published book, and included snippets from that book written by the husband about his wife’s resultant life changing injuries and his struggles in dealing with his almost injury free future. It was such a great story that I bought the book to read about it further.
Presenters from Paralympics Australia also put on a remarkable presentation, talking about Wheelchair Basketball and Australia’s first Gold Medal in Rowing at the Paris Games. If you put your mind to it almost anything is possible. There were also presentations from Ottobock Australia, Ossur and OPC health and many more, each showcasing the latest in prosthetics and how far we have come.
There were also presentations titled “Laughter is the best medicine” by Jan Vaughan which got the audience involved, and another named “Musical Mystery Madness” where we had to name the song by title and artist. We also had to work out the common theme of the songs. Guessing wasn’t that easy, but when the answer was revealed I could understand the reasoning. Whilst I can’t remember all 7 songs included, the theme was cleverly built around limbs or body parts.
We were reminded of the many quotes familiar to most of us throughout the conference, motivating us and reminding us to look back at these these when we’re feeling down and struggling. These included:
- Setbacks are bumps in the road; they are not the end of the road – Bob Greene
- Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it – Charles R Swimdoll
- Your limits aren’t defined by what you’re lost, but by what you’re willing to embrace. Live fully and live life unlimited. – Korrin Burnett
- I have a disability that’s true, but what that really means is I may have to take a different path than you. – Robert M Hensel
Image 3 Some light entrainment at the Welcome event (look for a familiar face.)
For those who don’t understand limb loss and how it effects lives, I recommend that you attend one of these events and see it from our many perspectives – as all amputations are not the same or as they appear to be. I will be at the next conference whenever or wherever it will be.
During my time in Adelaide, I also had the chance to explore some of the attractions, soak up the culture and check out the city from an accessibility point of view – perhaps a topic for a future blog?!
Whilst at Adelaide airport waiting for my flight home, I saw this quote by Henry Ford
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that an airplane takes off against the wind not with it.”
Something that I took home,
Thanks for reading.
Links to some of presenters who shared their stories and experiences
https://www.limbs4kids.org.au/personal-stories/kylie-grew-up-with-no-limb-its
