A national organization helping Americans who have lost one or more limbs will gather at one of its largest events this week in Columbus.
The second annual Amputee Awareness Retreat, sponsored by the Amputee Warrior Alliance Inc., will bring between 65 to 80 people to Bartholomew County from Thursday through Saturday, organization president Susan Allen said.
Although participants and their caregivers will be staying at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham on Carrie Lane, they will be visiting several central Indiana facilities during the three-day retreat, Allen said.
With the word “warrior” prominently featured in the alliance’s name, it’s understandable that many make a wrong assumption the organization only serves veterans, she said.
But the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which is based in the Chicago area, is for all amputees and their caregivers, Allen said.
“We are all warriors because we are all learning to fight back and adapt as an amputee,” the alliance president said.
After having their first retreat last year in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Allen said her organization’s initial choice for this year’s event was the Abe Martin Lodge and Cabins in Nashville.
But that idea was dropped after alliance personnel learned not all cabins could accommodate the physically-challenged.
Allen said she later supported an advisory board member’s suggestion to hold the retreat in Columbus because it is a city she had earlier visited and enjoyed.
Local attractions such as world-class architecture, the availability of entertaining activities, excellent restaurants — and the close proximity of medical specialists and facilities were all mentioned by Allen as the reason for choosing Columbus.
One specific attribute is the Columbus Rock Gym, 1551 Cottage Ave., which Allen said will provide therapeutic challenges for certain amputees, she said.
Conducted in association with the Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc., the retreat has a goal of providing new, existing and veteran amputees of all levels the opportunity to meet other amputees, gain knowledge and establish life-forward relationships, according to an alliance press release.
“Many people feel their life is either over, or will have to to change dramatically, after losing a limb,” Allen said. “But life doesn’t have to change. Not if you refuse to accept no for an answer.”
With the assistance of physical therapists and exercise specialists, retreat participants will be able to do several things such as swim, fish, play basketball — and even dance after being taught new ways of performing certain activities, she said.
Some will learn things how to do things they have never known how to do, Allen said.
But the alliance is mostly about building a network, so that amputees known they are not alone,” the alliance president said.
“There is always someone to talk to as you go through various stages such as grief, denial and anger,” she said.
Group discussions during the retreat will focus on a number of topics, including ways to cope with being an amputee or caregiver, Allen said.
Although the Amputee Warrior Alliance Inc. is only a few years old, the organization has already obtained 21 different partners that include the Fraternal Order of Moose, the Girl Scouts of America and the Disabled American Veterans.
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For more information about the Amputee Warrior Alliance Inc., visit amputeewarrioralliance.org
Inquiries and donations can be made through:
Amputee Warrior Alliance Inc., 1 LaceBark Court, Bolingbrook, IL 60490.
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