Prosthetist Goes Beyond Ordinary To Help Vet

Jay Tew

Mike McNalton, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, came back from Afghanistan a changed man-a lower-extremity amputee for starters, after losing a leg to a landmine explosion.

McNalton was one of the first active-duty American soldiers to be fit with an Otto Bock C-LegŪ and is on track to getting his normal life back-the life he knew before the war.

McNalton discussed the goal of being able to run again with his prosthetist, Jay Tew of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tew mentioned a Hanger patient with a similar condition-John Siciliano, who broke the 200-meter record in the T-42 classification and earned a spot on the US Paralympic team at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Siciliano, who also wears a C-Leg, spends considerable time working with other amputee athletes. Tew hoped that Siciliano could teach McNalton proper fitness and how to run with a prosthesis.

After weeks of planning, Tew arranged for a two-day training session in Baton Rouge. Tew took a video of the training for McNalton's use and was available to provide any needed prosthetic care.

When asked why he took the initiative to arrange the meeting and training session, Tew said, "This is what my job as a prosthetist is all about-getting patients back out there doing what they love to do. If that means arranging for a running coach and planning a weekend like this, that's what it takes. I'll get it done."