Portrait of an Activist: Sean Brame
By Morgan Sheets
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Sheets and Brame |
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The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) has made a great deal of progress over the past year in the fight for prosthetic parity. Seven states now have laws in place, including Oregon, and there are 28 additional states that are currently in the process of advancing a bill.
There is a lot of work involved in a national campaign. We could not do any of this without the hard work of state parity activists like Sean Brame of Pennsylvania.
In May 2005, at age nine, Brame became a quadrilateral amputee from septic shock following an ankle injury while playing soccer. But nothing could keep Brame down. Less than a year after losing his limbs, Brame rejoined his soccer team.
Brame also has been a big part of the effort to advance prosthetic parity in Pennsylvania. He testified at a hearing before the Health & Human Services Committee in the fall, and he spoke at a press conference and rally at the state capitol in April.
Brame and his family have worked with their local support group to help collect petitions, send out letters, and provide support for the campaign. While Brame is a truly remarkable individual, the work that he has done is something that anyone can do.
There have been many times when Brame has told others what his second-grade teacher once told him: "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it."
That is the motto he follows, and by following his lead, that motto can help advance parity legislation in your state as well.
Morgan Sheets is the national advocacy director for ACA's Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL) initiative. She can be reached at APPLL@amputee-coalition.org. For more information, visit www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html
Editor's note: For more information about Sean Brame. 
Table Of Contents - August 2007
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