Two Amputees Talk to Students About Prosthetics
On Nov. 13, School of Engineering and Arts students listened to Aaron Holm and Rob Rieckenberg, both amputees, talk about the challenges of living without legs, and the benefits of technology.
When Rob Rieckenberg was 26 years old, he was mugged on his way to a friend's house. He was left unconscious on the railroad tracks in Minneapolis when a train hit him. When Rieckenberg woke up in the Hennepin County Medical Center, he had 60 staples in his head and his right leg was amputated. Aaron Holm was 40 years old when he decided to help a co-worker who got a flat tire on Interstate 394. In the process of changing her tire, a car traveling on the shoulder hit Holm at 55 miles per hour, pinning him between two cars. The accident cost him both his legs. But on Nov. 13, at the School of Engineering and Arts, you would never know that Holm and Rieckenberg were short a leg or two. That's because prosthetic limbs have given them the …
Cyndi Lee
9:51 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012
Reminds of a brief impromptu talk with a group of 3rd graders. Here in Honolulu, the schools have a electronic/robotics comp and this group had decided to build a prosthetic from legos. Donned and doffed my leg, also demonstrated the Alter-G, zero gravity treadmill. I'm an LAKA...for a little over a year now. more ›