Merry Christmas from the Team at Proactive

This year, instead of sending Christmas cards, we are making a donation
to the Tree of Hope campaign for Lucy Johnston

Lucy is a little girl who goes to school with the son of one of our team.
This campaign is raising money for her to have potentially life-changing surgery. Lucy was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and as a result is wheelchair dependent. If enough money is raised, she will be able to have SDR surgery, hopefully giving her a chance to walk! The SDR surgery has already transformed the life of her twin brother, Matthew, who has diplegic cerebral palsy (affecting two limbs to Lucy’s four).
A very worthy and inspirational cause, we are sure you will agree.

Considering that we started the year in lockdown and Covid has continued to have a huge impact on much of the year, we have certainly managed to fit some major events into 2021!

Supporting Paralympic Athletes

At last! After last year’s postponement, it was time for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. All the Team GB athletes were getting ready to compete at the highest level.
We provide ongoing support to a number of athletes in various disciplines, and we are often up in Loughborough helping with Team GB’s training – so this was a busy time for us, helping to prepare our supported athletes for this year’s games.
Working in the state-of-the-art facilities at Loughborough University enables athletes to perform at the top of their game.
Proactive Prosthetics are on-hand to support athletes over the course of their training by conducting checks and optimising socket fit and blade alignment.
We love working with supported athletes to make sure they are well placed for sporting success.

Tokyo 2020

Our Clinic Director, Richard Nieveen, received official accreditation by the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and became the first prosthetist to be part of Paralympics Team GB.
This isn’t the first time Richard has attended the Paralympics to support competing athletes, but previously he had acted independently as a personal prosthetist.
Accreditation put him in the exciting and privileged position of having full access to the events and being with the athletes 24/7. Richard was definitely in the thick of the action, taking part in the highs and lows of world class sport – what a fantastic experience! You can read more about his time in Tokyo here.

The Proactive Prosthetics team here in Godalming are incredibly proud of the athletes we supported at Tokyo 2020, sprinters Jonnie Peacock, Richard Whitehead and Sophie Kamlish, and long jumper Stef Reid. They did us proud, and we congratulate all the competitors on their individual performances.

Viewing figures rocketed for this year’s Paralympics and they were watched by 1/3 of the population in the UK. 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the men’s T64 100m. It is hugely encouraging that Paralympic athletes are getting the coverage and audiences they deserve.
Overall, team GB came second in the medals table and all the athletes deserve a massive congratulations for their success in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020!

What’s next?

We have already started getting ready for Paris 2024. In fact, preparations began even before we left Tokyo!
With only three years to prepare instead of the usual four, at Proactive Prosthetics we will be doing everything in our power to ensure our supported athletes hit the ground running.
Between now and then we have the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

Stef Reid

Stef Reid has had more going on recently than just competing in the Paralympics earlier this year (and, yes, you would think that would be plenty already)!

Stef has also taken on the role of commentator on Channel 4. She has been doing a brilliant job and certainly seems like a natural commentator.
Stef’s next challenge will be on your screens very soon! She is competing in the upcoming season of ITV’s Dancing on Ice!!
When it was all still very hush-hush, we were working closely with Stef to create a leg specifically designed for her to skate on … and her practice sessions seem to be going extremely well. We will be following her progress on our Instagram and Facebook pages and the programme will air in January. Best of luck, Stef!

Collaboration to Support a Fellow Professional

Our work is always incredibly rewarding because we get to work with so many different people with a wide range of needs.
One such patient is Jim Ashworth-Beaumont, who is a qualified Prosthetist/Orthotist himself. Jim was obviously extremely familiar with prosthetics before having his own fitted after he lost his right arm above the elbow in a bicycle accident.

Three prosthetic companies came together to create his new arm, which Proactive Prosthectics have been fitting for him. Jim has been fitted with a Steeper Group Espire Pro elbow (a powered elbow) along with an Ottobock UK Bebionic hand. Brian McLaughlin from Steepers came here to assist Proactive prosthetist Alan with the fitting.
We want to say a big thank you to Steeper Group and Ottobock UK for working together with us in getting Jim fighting fit again following his accident.

Physiotherapy

Don’t forget that Sarah, our in-house physio, is on hand for any queries, concerns, exercise advice or one-to-one work on strengthening the necessary muscle groups to enhance the use and extend the mobility of your supporting limb. This year Sarah has been adding even more rehabilitative sports to her repertoire!
SUP – Stand-Up Paddleboarding – is the latest offering. Can you think of a more fun (and wobbly!) way to get back to full fitness, stability and stamina??

Here is Sarah getting to grips with the technique (and her paddle!) on the River Wey, right next to our clinic in Godalming.

Children’s limbs

One of our younger patients loves swimming and now she is able to use this water activity limb that has been made for her in a truly funky pattern.

The design is by @Funkifabrics and their designs can be applied to your sockets and limbs. Take a look at their amazing creations here. How cool are they!?

A ‘big anniversary’! Proactive Prosthetics turns 20!

2021 was a big year for us – we turned 20! We first opened our doors in May 2001 and have spent the last 20 years creating fantastic memories with friends old and new.
We had fun at a small party to celebrate the occasion.
Due to the pandemic, we had to limit the number of people invited, as our guests’ safety was the main consideration.

We are so looking forward to 2022 when we plan to have an Open Day and celebrate with EVERYONE we know. We hope to see you there! Watch this space!

Book in for a Review

If you have not been to see us for a while, we would encourage you to book in for a review. We recommend an annual review to check that your prosthesis is comfortable and fitting nicely and is not showing signs of wear and tear. We will also work with you to support you in your ongoing goals.

Book an appointment by dropping us an email at clinic@proactiveprosthetics.co.uk
or just call Lorraine on +44 (0)1252 702 500