By Jerrica Thurman, Amputee Coalition Director, Communications

Join the Amputee Coalition in celebrating Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month (LLLDAM), April 1-30, 2022. The annual celebration was created to educate others about what it’s like to live with limb loss and limb difference, and this year’s theme is “Your Ordinary is Extraordinary.”  LLLDAM spotlights the vital need to support efforts that advance equitable medical access, care, and coverage for people living with limb loss and limb difference.

The obstacles that people on their limb loss journey must overcome are no easy feats. As they adapt to a new way of living, amputees experience victories daily in simple areas of life. During 2022 LLLDAM, we celebrate the small and big wins within our community. We would like our community to know, “Your Ordinary is Extraordinary.”

By approaching each day of life with the fundamental willpower to thrive, our community members champion human strength by persisting. COVID-19 has exacerbated mental, physical, emotional, and social problems for all humans, and while our community members experienced grave setbacks during this time, they still find ways to thrive. It may seem so ordinary as amputees go about their lives, but their ordinary is indeed extraordinary.

Every day, more than 500 people in the U.S. lose a limb, and it is estimated that, by 2050, the number of people living with limb loss will nearly double. Limb loss affects people of all ages, income levels, and backgrounds. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for connection and support has only increased within the limb loss and limb difference community.

As the global pandemic persists in 2022, the Amputee Coalition understands that COVID-19 hits the limb loss and limb difference community hard because of several underlying health issues and factors:

• Amputation rates during the pandemic have increased as COVID-19 causes dangerous blood clots;
• Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are significant underlying conditions that put people with limb loss at even higher risk of infection and hospitalization.
• Forgoing doctor visits during the pandemic has resulted in more patients at-risk for amputation from getting vital preventative health care; and
• Suicide rates among veterans with limb loss has increased as social isolation, shared by many, take its toll during the pandemic.

The Amputee Coalition is the only national nonprofit organization that serves all individuals who experience limb loss or limb difference. It is critical now more than ever to promote its mission and honor our community.

You can get involved in several LLLDAM activities throughout the month of April, such as:

• Share brand assets in the 2022 LLLDAM Communication Toolkit
• Become a 2022 LLLDAM Sponsor
• Join our #WeTHRIVEcampaign to share your unique story
• Participate in 2022 LLLDAM Advocacy Forum

Visit the Amputee Coalition website for the complete lineup of April activities. Show your support of LLLDAM and join the conversation on Twitter using these hashtags: #LLAM, #LLLDAM, #WeTHRIVE, and #NoAmputeeAlone.

For more information, contact communications@amputee-coalition.org.