Amputee group forming in Iowa City to share challenges, opportunities

Abbey Almelien is accustomed to the comments.

“That girl only has one leg,” Almelien, 31, says she often hears from children who see her walking with crutches.

“I'm so used to that now that it doesn't bother me one bit,” the Iowa City woman says. “I feel like I'm being an advocate for anyone with differences. I'm OK with it; they should be, too.”

Harry Olmstead, 60, also of Iowa City, says he uses those types of encounters as teaching opportunities.

Almelien, who lost a leg to cancer, and Olmstead, whose leg was amputated after an infection, will take their advocacy one step further.

The two are forming a support group for amputees, the only known group of its kind in Iowa, outside of Davenport.

An estimated 1.7 million Americans live with limb loss, an increasing issue in the United States.

Not only have hundreds of service members lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, but a diabetes epidemic is leading to more amputations.

In fact, more than half of all amputations happen to diabetics in the United States, according to the Amputee Coalition of America. The group notes that on average, 507 Americans lose a limb every day, a number expected to almost double by 2050.

Knowing the need for information, Olmstead, a recent transplant to Iowa City, and Almelien, a former pediatrics nurse at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, joined forces to start the support group.

The first meeting will be July 1. The group is open to anyone with limb loss, along with family members, caretakers and professionals.

Olmstead hopes members will share the challenges they face, along with opportunities available in the community.

The two are handing out fliers at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and elsewhere, and encourage residents of Cedar Rapids and beyond to join, as well. Both have been trained as Certified Peer Visitors through the Amputee Coalition of America.

Although the path that Almelien and Olmstead took to become amputees is different, they both have had several years to adjust to a new sense of normal.

Almelien's right leg and hip were amputated in September 2008 after she was diagnosed with cancer.

She typically uses crutches to walk, while Olmstead normally uses a wheelchair.

Olmstead looked for a support group after moving to Iowa City in April and was directed to the Davenport group.

While living in Alabama, the former special education teacher suffered a staph infection after his knee replacement surgery in 2000. His right leg was amputated in 2002.

“Prior to that, I was active - hiking and biking,” he said.

Olmstead's marriage crumbled after the amputation.

A high divorce rate is one of the sad statistics that accompany the condition, if the couple is married before the onset of the disability, he says.

Otherwise, the outlook is much brighter for those who marry afterward, says Almelien, who is buying a house with her boyfriend in Iowa City.

Almelien is a board member of Access 2 Independence in Iowa City, where the support group will meet.

Olmstead says some of the people interested in joining the group are recent amputees, who have questions about prosthetics and otherwise don't know what to expect.

The two say the support group should help answer at least some of those questions.

“It's such a personal journey,” Almelien says. “You can share your experiences, but there's really no common route. It's very personal.”

The South Eastern Iowa Amputee Support Group will meet at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Access 2 Independence, 381 E. College St., Iowa City, starting July 1.

– Access 2 Independence, a non-profit center that advocates for people with disabilities in the Corridor, also will have an open house from noon to 5 p.m. July 1 at its new site at 381 E. College St.

– For more information about the support group, contact Abbey Almelien at (319) 541-3535 or write to aalmelien@gmail.com or Harry Olmstead at (319) 338-2931 or HarryO3@aol.com