Speaking to another amputee can make a real difference to your recovery and ease your concerns. We call this type of assistance Peer Support.
Following surgery, you will need time to recover. It is also a time to set goals about your journey ahead. Here, we help to guide you through the process to navigate your pathways forward.
Effectively managing your short and long term health will lead to better outcomes and prevent future problems.
Getting the right kind of prosthesis to suit your lifestyle needs and daily level of activity is important.
People are often concerned about the costs involved in getting a prosthesis. In Australia, there are a number of different funding schemes and it can be easy to get confused and to know what you are eligible for.
Melissa is an above-knee amputee with a background in national account sales and marketing. She has a Diploma of Community Education/Disability and has completed a course in Acute Trauma Counselling. Melissa has held board and advisory members positions for local and state governments and disability/community non-profit organisations. Since co-founding Limbs 4 Life, Melissa has been credited with a number of awards and been recognised for her work within the community. Melissa is passionate about creating positive outcomes for the amputee community and disability related sector. Melissa is a board member with the Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association (ARATA).
In September 2001, at the age of 18, Mike’s life changed forever when he contracted meningococcal septicemia. Mike was left with horrific internal and external injuries, including multiple amputations.
Mike credits his ability to turn a major setback into success, to a positive outlook, an adaptive mindset and a conscious decision to embrace uncertainty.
Mike has a background in the Health Industry, he’s a qualified Counsellor, Author, a highly skilled communicator and delivers resilience programs around Australia. Mike has been a passionate supporter of amputee charity Limbs 4 Life for over a decade and is a founding member of the Limbs 4 Life's Peer Support Program.
Bruce is a below knee amputee from road trauma at age 26. From the outset Bruce attributes his recovery followed by two decades of varied work and activities to a holistic and positive attitude. With 2 concurrent careers Bruce has most recently held ship commands as Master in Specialist Offshore Oil & Gas vessels, interspersed with music performance around Melbourne, also formerly operating a recording studio and teaching audio technical production at RMIT University.
A long-time supporter of Limbs 4 Life, Bruce is excited to now apply a broad range of skills across the organisation with a focus on Peer Support Programs, helping amputees embrace a positive mindset towards recovery, and making their goals, big and small, achievable.
Bruce also contributes to the Monash Partners Medical Research Alliance as a community and consumer representative , with a similar role for the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering.
Andrew brings to Limbs 4 Life a unique perspective, having both Disability Sector, and lived experience of disabilities. Andrew is the WA Director of Physical Disability Australia and regularly supports other amputees as a Limbs 4 Life Peer Support Volunteer. He has a passion to see people with disabilities achieve their goals and dreams, however big or small, and says, “life should revolve around opportunities”.
Andrew has worked in the disability sector in Western Australia for the past 12 years and brings experience from Government positions to NGO/NFP roles, focusing on building the capacity of people with disabilities in his local community. Andrews has a wealth of experience in the disability employment sector.
Andrew is excited to be working on the Ramping Up 4 Work program to support people with limb loss in Western Australia to navigate the pathways to employment.
Leahe has had many years’ experience working in administrative roles in the medical and finance industries and currently holds a number of volunteer positions with local community organisations. Leahe’s first experience with Limbs 4 Life was through a family member who became an amputee, and she has now joined the Limbs 4 Life team providing administrative support.
Jacquetta has extensive experience in customer service and sales. She worked as a Sales Consultant at QANTAS for over 11 years and then left the industry in 2015 to become a full-time parent. More recently, Jacquetta was employed as a Research Assistant for Alpha Crucis Group, where she performed various tasks for a multitude of companies and organisations, with a focus on Health Economics. Here, she gained experience in healthcare, community care and the disability sector. Jacquetta also has valuable lived experience and insight regarding people with limb loss. She has lived with a person who is a bi-lateral, below knee amputee for over 20 years.
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