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Unquenchable Spirit: The Cameron Clapp Story
By Sherry Metzger, MS
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Photo courtesy of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., www.hanger.com |
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It was 3 PM on a Wednesday afternoon in sunny
Pismo Beach, California, and 19-year-old Cameron Clapp was looking
for a tuxedo while juggling his cell phone. The scene sounds like
an average teenager getting ready for prom, but Clapp was gearing
up for an important day in his young life: The Shining Star
Awards Gala.
The 58th annual dinner/dance event, sponsored by Just
One Break Inc. (JOB), a nonprofit organization founded in
part by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1947, was honoring gold medal-winning
Clapp for his achievements as a star athlete. On November 30, 2005,
he became one of a few recipients of the prestigious award, along
with such luminaries as Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles. "It's a
black-tie event," he explained while preparing. "There are going to
be a lot of important people there, I imagine."
In fact, Ann Curry, NBC's Today Show anchorwoman, gave
a special introduction and ABC's 20/20 anchor, Bill
Ritter, served as master of ceremonies. The gala honored "those
whose outlook and achievements provide inspiration and
encouragement for people with disabilities," read the invitation to
the event, titled Silver Linings, "either by example or by
supporting JOB in its mission of helping qualified applicants
obtain sustainable employment."
One of three Shining Star recipients that evening, Clapp
received a standing ovation after his acceptance speech. "I was
very nervous," he said afterwards. "This was the biggest event of
my life and something of which I'll always be proud." Having always
been an outstanding athlete, Clapp's accomplishments are now
especially impressive and inspirational, since he's missing three
limbs.
Four days after the devastation of September 11, 2001, a young
Clapp faced his own life-changing tragedy. "One night...I got hit
by a train," he explained. Taking up the charge from President Bush
to light candles in remembrance of the victims, Clapp, his twin
brother Jesse, and several friends built their own memorial. After
a night at a friend's house, where the mood was slightly somber and
reflective, but included drinking, Clapp returned to his home in
Grover Beach, California. "At 3 AM, I went outside for some fresh
air and relit the candles," Clapp said. He crossed the street to
proudly gaze at the memorial and, as speculated later, passed out
on the train tracks. Witnesses said they never heard a train
whistle, and Clapp wonders if it may have made a difference: "It
might have alerted me back into consciousness, so I could have
moved." However, Clapp maturely takes responsibility for the
accident and has not let it quench his enthusiasm for life.
Achieving the Impossible'
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Cameron utilizes a variety of custom-designed prosthetic devices, enabling him to enjoy an active, productive life. This includes participating in a wide variety of activities and athletic events. Photos courtesy of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., www.hanger.com |
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The accident left Clapp a triple amputee, taking
both his legs and his right arm. Yet, from the moment he awoke in
the hospital, he remained optimistic about his chances to live life
fully. Though Clapp's first doctors predicted he wouldn't walk on
his graduation day, he amazed everyone and did walk, in addition to
being elected the student speaker. After finishing high school a
semester early, Clapp studied at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo,
California, where he was again elected student speaker and received
the Zelle Diefenderfer Scholarship.
He said in an interview on CNN's Saturday Morning News,
"Life is unfair. Some people get it hard; some get it easy."
Although daily tasks are more difficult he said, "My accident was a
good thing in some ways; I wouldn't be the person that I am today.
It's not what I'm left with; it's what I've done. I've just
adapted." His motto truly expresses Cameron: "Impossible' is an
opinion, not a fact."
Clapp's state-of-the-art prostheses make the "impossible" a
reality, allowing him to run 100 meters in only 18 seconds, swim 20
laps, and even play golf. In the Endeavor Games (a multi-sport
event for athletes with disabilities), from 2002-2005, Clapp earned
several gold and silver medals. He has high aspirations for future
athletic competitions saying, "I'd love to be in the Paralympics,
but there aren't enough athletes in my category. I'm the only
triple amputee that runs!"
High-Tech Enables Goals
His legs were amputated just above the knees, leaving him with a
"very long lever arm to move the prostheses," explained Randy
Richardson, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., on Clapp's
website. "The way the prosthetic limbs fit onto the residual limbs
is critical for using bilateral above-knee prostheses." Richardson
continued, "Cameron's lower-extremity prostheses are made up of the
patented Hanger ComfortFlexTM Socket System. They are
held on by suction." Because the new socket design actually
stimulates muscle growth, the size of Clapp's residual limbs has
increased. "[The limbs] have grown quite a lot," Clapp said. "My
old sockets would entirely fit inside the ones I wear now!"
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Upper-extremity specialist Chuck Anderson, CP (center) and Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP work with Cameron and his new body-powered arm prosthesis. Photo courtesy of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., www.hanger.com |
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Richardson continued, "Cameron has
several different components that attach below the
sockets. For everyday walking, Cameron uses the Hanger
Complete System, which uses the ComfortFlex
Sockets with the Otto Bock C-Leg® computer knee system." The
C-Leg contains a microprocessor that reads weight
distribution via sensors throughout the prosthetic legs and adjusts
the hydraulics accordingly.
Said Clapp, "The C-Leg greatly improved my independence and
mobility. It's a system that reacts to how I'm walking."
An ankle device replaces the computer knee allowing for swim
fins to fit over the feet. "Since the movable ankle joints are
attached directly to the ComfortFlex Sockets, there is less
resistance when kicking the legs while in the water," Richardson
described. "Cameron also has a specialized pair of running legs,
which utilize ultra-lightweight hydraulic knee units and
carbon-fiber sprint feet."
Clapp focused all of his attention at first on his
lower-extremity prostheses. But after a year and a half, he
realized that an upper-limb prosthesis could greatly benefit his
active lifestyle. It was a challenge for upper-extremity specialist
Chuck Anderson to successfully fit such a short residual limb,
amputated almost to the shoulder. "His current upper-extremity
prosthesis is made up of an Alps silicone liner with a distal pin
attachment. This locks into the carbon fiber frame, which also has
a suspension strap that hooks around his left arm," said
Richardson.
"Cameron has a body-powered, full-length prosthetic arm with a
voluntary opening hook attachment for everyday use. He also has a
specialized swim [attachment]." Richardson concluded, "It is
Cameron's positive attitude and determination that has been
paramount to the success he has earned using prosthetic limbs."
TV Embraces Clapp
Of the many new opportunities since his accident, Clapp said,
"I've met great people and been to awesome places." He adds, "It's
a lot of hard work, practice, and training--physically and
mentally." But, with family support, the teamwork of great
prosthetists, his motivation and determination, Clapp has been able
to live quite an amazing life. In addition to athletic
competitions, Clapp has made several TV appearances. His story was
featured on the Discovery Channel's "Medical Incredible," NBC's
Today Show, and CNN. He also has appeared on the HBO
series "Carnivale" and most recently NBC's My Name is
Earl, starring Jason Lee.
"Jason Lee is hilarious!" Clapp exclaimed. "He is one of my role
models, and I was so excited to meet him. To be filming with him
was amazing!" Clapp played the boyfriend of hip-disartic amputee
DiDi, and chased Earl. Earl exclaimed, "As handi-capable as
one-legged Didi was, her no-legged boyfriend was handi-capabler!"
Clapp explained that shooting the few seconds of footage required,
"a lot of running on uneven surfaces, but they improvised for my
situation."
Helping Others
Today, in addition to intensive running and swim training, Clapp
travels extensively as a patient advocate, educating others about
his rehabilitation process at Hanger workshops and clinics. He also
is a certified peer visitor for the Amputee Coalition of America
(ACA). His experience with highly skilled prosthetists has led to
his decision to pursue the field as a profession. "Great
prosthetists have made my life much more enjoyable; they've
inspired me. I've always wanted to do something that involves
helping others." He also responds to more than 100 e-mails a week,
encouraging and supporting others.
A recent trip to Washington DC afforded him an opportunity to
help soldiers returning as amputees from the war. At the Walter
Reed Medical Center, Clapp presented various prostheses and said,
"This was a major accomplishment for me because I helped soldiers
who put their life on the line for our country. I thanked each one
of them." As he explored national monuments, he picked up the issue
of People magazine that included his story and said
proudly, "I saw myself as an inspirational person and realized I've
had a lot of accomplishments in my life despite my accident."
When questioned about his greatest accomplishment, Clapp
responded, "I recently got my driver's license!" The statement is a
reminder that this amazing man, after all, is still a teenager. He
concluded, "I don't live in pity or sorrow. I don't have regrets or
remorse. There are lots of things people can take from my story,
but the best is hope."
You can learn more about Cameron Clapp by visiting his website,
www.cameronclapp.com Sherry Metzger, MS, is a freelance writer with degrees in anatomy and neurobiology. She is based in Westminster, Colorado, and may be reached at metzgerfive@hotmail.com 
Table Of Contents - February 2006
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