Surf’s up, even for amputees
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Surfing is an inclusive sport not limited to the young, tan, tall and lovely. All kinds of people get on surfboards and ride the waves -- even amputees.
A Southern California group called Amp’d formed last year to encourage amputees and others to surf, even if they’ve never been on a board. The group is the brainchild of Amy Ginsburg, a prosthetic practitioner with Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc. in Laguna Hills. She was working with a 13-year-old patient whose leg was amputated above the knee due to Ewing’s sarcoma. ‘We fitted him with a leg, and he was so excited that he could go in the pool,’ Ginsburg says. She thought he might also enjoy surfing and put him in touch with another patient who had been surfing on one leg for several years. He wound up mentoring the teen.
They went out last summer and eventually more people joined as word spread and Ginsburg discovered additional patients with a background in surfing, or who wanted to try the sport. Amp’d took a break for the winter, but the members are heading back to the ocean now and have a ride planned for Saturday morning at the Dog Patch break at San Onofre State Beach in San Clemente. Anyone interested can e-mail Amy at aginsburg@hanger.com, and all are welcome, not just amputees. They plan to meet on a regular basis through the summer.
Ginsburg says surfing has provided numerous benefits for those who have lost limbs: ‘The 13-year-old used to body board, and he wants to surf, so why not? He wanted to know what he could do. Others have been big-time surfers who haven’t been back and never thought it was an option.’
They’ve adapted their equipment as needed too. One man who lost an arm plans to have a handle put on his board to make it more manageable, while another has a customized wet suit.
‘It’s nothing but a positive experience,’ Ginsburg says. ‘It’s amazing to see them do what they do.’
-- Jeannine Stein