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Amputee Profiles
Chad Crittenden - A True Survivor
39 days, 18 survivors, 6 weeks of filming. Chad Crittenden, 35, was chosen to participate in CBS' Survivor Vanuatu, which aired last season. Remaining on the show for 27 days, Chad, a below-the-knee amputee, persevered through starvation, dehydration, discomfort, constant temperature fluctuations, and of course 24-hour camera surveillance.
This show was unique, blazing new ground with Chad being the first amputee featured on Survivor. Prior to the show's filming Chad prepped with his prosthetist, Wayne Koniuk of San Francisco Prosthetic-Orthotic Service, working on basic exercises such as entry and exit out of the water and strength training for optimum performance. "There were no complications with my prostheses during the show's filming. Unbelievably, my renegade endured everything I put it through-sand, surf, and all of the crazy challenges. However, I lost 15 pounds in 27 days and that affected how my socket and liner fit---I had to overcompensate with extra socks."
You would think that being an amputee on Survivor would affect you mentally, emotionally and physically, but for Chad this was not the case. In fact, he would have planned the same strategy had he not be an amputee. "I have pretty high standards so I am satisfied with my performance, but not elated. Under the circumstances, there were a few challenges, for instance the balance beams that I caught myself on and feel I could have trained harder for." Chad's appearance on the show exposed the public to amputees in general and the capabilities of active amputees. "I'm sure it dispelled stereotypes, and I hope that it inspired amputees worldwide," he said.
Chad was most enthused by the production itself, claiming that after watching Survivor for years, "I finally witnessed first-hand the real behind-the-scenes drama that the viewers wish they could see but don't." He said. "The technical aspects and coordination that go into the show is colossal, there are literally hundreds of people working together to make the show a success." According to Chad, each show gets better than the last.
At Freedom Innovations, the Vanuatu Season will always remain our favorite. We were thrilled to see an amputee performing such great acts while wearing the renegade. It was a true surprise to everyone at the company and a pleasure to turn on the television every Thursday night to root for "one of our own". Chad's success is a measure of his determination and skill as well as a demonstration of what we have long known to be a top of the line product. We couldn't be more proud of Chad and his accomplishments.
To view video clips or to read more about Chad Crittenden and Survivor go to: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor9/survivors/bios/chad.shtml
Amy Purdy Profile
Las Vegas native Amy Purdy, 24, is a Freedom Innovations Amputee Advocate with many aspirations, but above all she's an actress at heart. In a rare occurrence for Hollywood motion pictures, Amy was cast as the female lead in an independent film, "What's Bugging Seth," a drama by Man of Steel Productions.
Amy first got involved with this film through her prosthetist who received the casting call from O&P Edge. "They were looking for a female, below-knee amputee in her early 20's with red hair and a vintage style," she reflects. "I knew this was my chance." When Amy showed up to the audition the Director was blown away by her presence - Amy's youthful and energetic spirit paved the way to this epic role.
"What's Bugging Seth" is based on a man who is hearing-impaired looking for success. He meets Amy's character, and their relationship changes lives dramatically. The film focuses on the issues of insecurity and independence. Amy found it most challenging to portray the emotion in her character. "The character that I portray is not at all who I am in real life," Amy reflected. "On screen I had to appear raw and unsure of myself." Digging up the feelings that haunted Amy in the months following her own amputation caused her to recognize how far she has come in dealing with her own self-image. "My character didn't feel whole without her legs and required a cosmetic finish to make her prostheses "pretty"," Amy stated. "Today, I am more comfortable wearing skirts that actually show of my unfinished legs. I have no desire to hide them."
Amy was thrilled to be wearing the Runway on both of her prostheses. "We had wardrobe changes three to four times a day and that included a variety of shoes." Amy said. "Wearing the Runway meant that I wasn't limited to a certain shoe. The stylist could put me in whatever she wanted. It was great that I didn't have to worry about what could have been a challenge."
Next to Seth's character, Amy performed in the largest amount of scenes in the film so she was being shot almost every day. "When I came home after shooting I was absolutely drained - I wasn't used to the schedule, the stress, and being that it was a low budget film everything had to be right on the first shot." She endured the physical challenges of such a long work week without complaint for the entire two month filming.
All of Amy's hard work paid off. The film won first place at the Fargo Film Festival and will make its West Coast premiere in April at the Newport Film Festival in Newport Beach, CA. Due to the overwhelming response the film has received in regards to Amy's character she will be attending the premiere to answer questions after the screening. Her role will surely gain amputees the positive exposure that invaluable to the community.
And you may have guessed, Amy doesn't plan to stop here. She will be moving to Los Angeles in the Fall to pursue future acting endeavors as well as her newly incorporated non-profit organization, Adaptive Action Sports (AAS). Through AAS, Amy and Daniel Gale, the organization's Co-Founder, will enable people with disabilities to get involved with Extreme and Alternative sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, rock climbing and surfing as well as the music and arts scenes associated with the sports. So be sure to keep Amy Purdy on your radar screen. With her determination and Star quality, she shouldn't be too hard to track.
For more information on AAS, visit the organization on the web at www.AdaptiveActionSports.com
Amy Dodson Profile
Adding to the challenge...
For most athletes, a marathon is the farthest they've ever attempted to run, but for amputee and world-record marathon runner, Amy Dodson gearing up for a marathon is insignificant compared to preparing for a triathlon. Having competed in many triathlons in the past, Amy continues to go full force each year working to beat her personal record. Biking seriously for the past four years, Amy first started riding with a close friend. Today, Amy is found competing all over the world.
Last December, Amy went to her prosthetist, Jan Stokossa in hopes of designing a prosthetic leg made primarily for biking. Since then, Jan has been working diligently to design a biking leg that will give Amy the most power. She had her first fitting a few weeks ago and will be testing it as a temporary on her bike in Okemas, a town right outside of Blansing, Michigan. This will give Jan the opportunity to make any adjustments before creating the final product.
Jan and Amy operate like a team. Jan focuses on the mechanics, while Amy determines whether she will have maximum strength when she takes the leg to competitions. The biking leg has been uniquely designed to connect directly to the pedal. It will be modified to meet her individual needs.
Typical Training Day...
Amy Dodson is determined to keep up her athletic lifestyle while still managing a heavy workload and a family. Now that the school year is complete, you would think that Amy has extra time on her hands, but her day starts earlier than you'd expect. A typical day for Amy begins not at 8 AM, but at 4:30 AM, in which she drinks a protein-filled shake and by 5:30 AM she's en route for her 7-10 mile run. She then inhales a protein bar and moves into her next workout - swimming for an hour and a half. By noon she's more than two-thirds of her ways done. She breaks for lunch and then it's off to training for the next 2-4 hours - this time only on the bike. In addition to this daily routine, Amy weight trains five days a week, focusing on different muscle groups each day and a couple of nights a week she ventures off to the nearby lakes and does open water swimming. You would think that's enough, but for this avid athlete it's not. One day a week Amy goes to Ann Arbor and does a "brick" workout --- a bike run.
Amy is averaging per week 60-70 miles running, 200-300 miles biking and swimming 10 miles. She is very conscious about eating organic, multi-grain foods, and drinking plenty of fluids.
Her first major competition is fast approaching --- New York City Triathlon on July 10th! She will be competing apart of the Paralympics Development Team that she's been involved with for the past two years. Amy is one of 12 athletes who compete in triathlons nation wide, with the goal of qualifying for the Triathlon in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. The team takes the top disabled athletes in a particular category and has them compete. The ultimate goal in participating in New York is to get the Paralympic Triathlon to be recognized and included in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Just The Stats...
Amy recently won first place in the Silver Strand Half Marathon in San Diego, finishing with a time of 1:55. She stands as fourth time winner of the National Half Marathon Championship. She competed against more than 1,000 other athletes, including 19 participants in the Challenged Athletes division, in the Women's Below-Knee Amputee/Challenged Athletes division of the 18th Annual 2004 Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 19. She crossed the finish line with a time of 2:30:20. Prior to the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, Amy took first place in her division in the 2004 Accenture Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 29. Having completed ten marathons to date, Amy set the world record in October 2002 at the St. George, Utah, Marathon. At this marathon, she outpaced the former record, set by Lindsay Nielsen in 1999, by over 24 minutes. As a newcomer to triathlons, Amy won the gold medal in her division in the ITU World Championship Olympic Distance Triathlon held in Queenstown, New Zealand, in December 2003.
Amy's current statistics stand as:
5k: 22:18
Half-marathon: 1:51:06
Marathon: 3:53:21
Olympic Distance Triathlon: 2:57:57
Amy's Story...
Amy Dodson, 42, lost her left leg and lower lobe of her left lung to cancer (undifferentiated sarcoma) in 1983 and began distance running 15 years later. In 1999 she began running marathons, and in 2003 began competing in triathlons, capturing the gold medal in the 5000 meter at the DSUSA National Games in 1999.
Amy resides in Adrian, MI, and joined Irvine-based Freedom Innovations in April 2004 as part of its Amputee Advocate program. She competes in a Freedom Innovations sprinter foot (designed for runners) and also wears a Freedom "renegade" foot (designed for high impact activity) when competing in marathons and triathlons. Aside from competing, she works as a fifth grade elementary school teacher at Madison School Elementary in Adrian.
Amy's Competition Calendar...
New York City Triathlon --- July 10
Chicago Triathlon --- August 27
Ironman Florida, Panama City --- November 5
Honolulu Marathon --- December 11
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