I am sorry for my lack of posting recently but I have been in the hospital a total od almost 5 weeks since May and just returned home this past Wednesday after 3 weeks. I am very tired and worn out from the medications and surgery which needed to be preformed. At only 50 years old I am finding it harder and harder to bounce back and regain the ground I have lost after each episode with my health. I praise the Lord that He has blessed my wife Ellen by helping her deal with the great pressure she has been under due to the stress and I am very grateful to Him for this protection. I will try to post more often as I regain my strength and composure, so please bare with me during this time. I have spent almost 5 weeks in the hospital since May and each time I seem to lose more and more stamina. He is a gracious God who loves His children very much so I want always to be grateful and thankful for all He allows in my life. I will write again soon and hopefully in the next week or so you will see an article about me on Disaboom. They asked if they could interview me from an entrepreneurial viewpoint and I agreed. It should be finished shortly and I hope it will be worth reading.

I will write again very soon and thank you all for your concern.

Monday morning at 10am, I am meeting with a second newspaper reporter that has decided to run a story about how I started my business after my amputation. There seems to be a surprise that someone in our condition can do anything positive in the eyes of "the normal world" quote. It is as though it is a novelty to them and that we are like entertainment or something foolish like that. We are just normal folks with lives and hopes like anyone else who can go on with life and become just as productive as the rest of the world. With that said I will take any and all publicity I can get and use it to the fullest to promote my business and story. I believe any ones story can be inspiring when they overcome the odds against them. There are so many people here that could reach many more with your stories of being an overcomer!

We need to let the world know that we are here and are good productive citizens who do not want their pitty just because we have lost a limb...we need to rise above our circumstances and stand tall in the eyes of the world and understand that we can do anything we put our minds to when we trust in the Lord to guide us.

I also met a journalist Saturday that has agreed to write and submit articles for publication about our business and I am excited about this opportunity. It is time our business grew to greater heights.

On a more personal note, I spent 10 days in the hospital in May because they thought I had osteomillitus in my remaining foot. While there I caught MRSA, can't prove it though, and cleared that up and found it was only arthritis showing up on the scans and not osteo. I am not ready to give up the other leg just yet, but if that has to be then with the Lords help I will get through it.

Thanks for reading and feel free to email.

 

This article is appearing in the May Issue of "Dog In Site" a local New England publication (newspaper)available in NH, VT, ME, MA, RI, CT. Currently they publish about 22,000 copies per month and you can find quite a bite of information concerning mans best friend. You can contact them and I am sure they would be happy to send you a free copy. Call Michael Wiggins, editor/publisher @ 603-539-3989 let them know you heard about them from Dave Harper, that way they will understand if they get request from around the country. I hope I am not violation the forum rules by publishing this article, I simple want to encourage others that life can go on and we can still be productive if we fight on...

“New Hampshire Man Creates All Natural Skin Care Products for Man and Beast”

Rick, David, Lisa, Ellen, Dave

On a summer morning in August of 2004, the 19^th to be exact, I remember seeing the overhead lights flash above my head as I was rolled down the hallway to the elevator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in downtown Boston. I expected my life to change after they were done. The Doctor’s were sure this surgery was necessary and upon reflection of my condition I had to agree. The large, heavy doors swung open as I was wheeled into the operating room and about all I remembered until I awoke in recovery, were these words. “This will help you to relax”, next thing I knew I was out cold.

Several hours had passed before I awoke and was able to gain my bearings. I was tired, but I felt good, relaxed, but wide-awake, anxious, yet calm. Soon I was able to see my wife and sons and we looked at each other as the tears began to flood our eyes, we all knew change had come and it had arrived with full force. I pulled back the sheet covering my right side and looked down to the emptiness that now was a reality. Tears fled our eyes and ran down our cheeks as we accepted with finality my condition; you see they had just removed my right leg about 4 inches below the knee. Life often changes in ways we could never imagine, I mean in all honesty, these things happen to other people, is usually the first thought that comes to someone’s mind, isn’t it?

After several weeks I finally came home after a stint at a rehabilitative unit and found I could only use my wheel in our small kitchen. I would have to use the walker to go throughout our tiny apartment. We are grateful to have it as the Lord had provided it right when we needed it most.

My name is David Harper and I sold cars for Volkswagen in Manchester, NH to support my family and I was also a country evangelist on staff at our church. Life changes in drastic ways, but you must learn to accept those changes and “ Take your liabilities, or in my case, disabilities and learn to turn them into assets.” Changes do not have to become a negative, in my case it led me to make all natural bar soaps to help me avoid infections and complications on my stump or residual limb, call it what you want. There, in that small kitchen, the only room I could get around in, I started researching natural soap recipes and healing properties of essential oils. After a while I found a combination that seemed to work, plus it was much healthier for my family as well. I dreamed of creating a company called the “White Mountain Soap Company” but with no reasonable income to speak of, I let the idea and the dream go.

In February of 2007 a Pastor friend and his wife came to visit me from Rhode Island, his name was Nash Desent and his wife was Suzanne. They have nine children ranging in age from 6-21 at the time. They were concerned with how we were getting along. I had met Nash at a weekend prayer retreat 5 years earlier and we had become close friends during bi-monthly meeting we attended for the Independent Baptist Prayer Fellowship we belonged to. They are one of the most generous families we have ever known. We have known a few and they rank up toward the top of our list.

I noticed Suzanne had a skin problem on her face and she told me about the dust mites that were constantly attacking her and it seemed she found no relief with either problem. She was constantly in a rash caused by the mites and the skin condition on her face looked a lot like psoriasis, the flaky type you can get from the winter. After our visit I sent her home with 4 or 5 bars of soap and asked her to try it to see if it would help. Only a few days had passed and I received a call that she was 90% better and the dust mites no longer plagued her. What a blessing for me to have such a report about my soap.

Nash called me with in a few days and asked me what my desire was in creating this soap. I stated that my original intent was to find a concoction that would benefit other amputees and diabetics with skin care products that would make a difference and help them maintain healthy limbs and skin tone. He asked me what it would take to get started and the rest is history as they say. The White Mountain Products Company was born and its “Limb Defense” Line was launched. Our first liquid sample batch was created in our kitchen and from there we moved production to a state of the art sterile laboratory setting out of state. The only request that was made upon me was to make a product line they could use for their dogs as well. You see the Desent’s own “Desent Alaskan Malamutes” and are registered breeders with the AKC. Not a problem for me, and our Malamute Mountain Brand of Canine Defense products was also launched on May 26^th, 2007.

Our products are all naturals and can help with a host of problems amputees, diabetics, psoriasis suffers experience, as well as your best friend (dog) may experience. Dust mites, hot spots, abrasions, ulcers, dry patches, and cysts, nail fungus, fleas, and ticks. The list could go on. Many people have told us of the beneficial effects our products have had on their dogs and how their lives were made better by the simple use of a shampoo and skin lotion. Our products have a medicinal smell due primarily to the Melaleuca Alternifolia Oil (tea tree oil). The Desent’ also were able to start bathing their puppies within one (1) week of birth with no ill effects. On a very positive note, wet dog smell has been virtually eliminated with the use of our products and the coats color is greatly enhanced by the use of Aloe and other essential oils.

Our “Limb Defense and Canine Defense” line of products have been sent all over the world to help amputees, diabetics, and psoriasis/eczema sufferers, as well as pet owners who want the best for their animals. Read the warning labels on most canine shampoos and you will be shocked at the danger they pose to yourself as well as your pet. I was shocked at the many warnings I read on multiple manufacturer labels. One that will make you laugh was made by a National Company you would recognize, that simply stated it was not to be put in water and that it was considered hazardous waste when you disposed of the product or its packaging. That, I thought was amazing! Why would anyone even consider using such a product as this, but I realized that most folks just don’t know about the dangers and in many cases these products can be produced very cheaply and that is often a very appealing consideration in purchasing just about any product.

I saw a need in the community as a whole and decided I wasn’t going to accept being disabled with out a fight, and I still fight on a daily basis to be up and around because of health issues, but I don’t give in to it…I have often said since my amputation, “If you fail, try again, if you fall, pick yourself up, if you stumble into a pit of discouragement, climb or claw your way out, and along the way encourage others by your example and never, ever consider giving up!” Life is too precious to waste!

Amputees and diabetics are everywhere, there numbers are increasing every year, and they need any help that can come their way, which can help them avoid skin and limb related issues. Please tell your friends about our products and let other dog owners know there are products available to help their beloved animals.

We are an Internet based company and you may visit us at the addresses below.

Canine Defense products will be found at the Malamute Mountain Naturals site below:

www.MalamuteMountainNaturals.com

Limb Defense products can be found at the White Mountain Naturals site below:

www.WhiteMountainNaturals.com

Or call our office at 603-606-2497 and you may order over the phone.

As you know I do not push my business or my products on this site except to answer questions if some one ask. I do not think it is fair for me or any one else to use this forum as a recruiting ground for personal gain. With this said I would like to ask you all a question, would you be willing to send me the name, address, contact person, and phone number of the prosthetic office you use so I could see if they would be willing to put a small display of my brochures in their offices? This would be very helpful in order to give us the opportunity to grow. Advertising is very expensive and I can only afford to be in the ACA's In Motion Magazine, but if we could find enough offices to carry our brochures voluntarily, well more peole would use our products and thus we could grow.

If you feel this request is out of line, then I understand. I am simply attempting to become self sufficient and overcome my physical limitations and take care of my family. I have never liked working for anyone else and in my condition it would be difficult to work out side of my office. At least this way I can regulate my schedule and still be able to help those with the same issues I have. Amputees helping amputees...this has always been my goal, since my amp. To find a way to help others in my situation and turn my diability into an asset. You can check out my site and see what I do to see if you think it would be a worth while endeavor on your part to help. I would in no way be insulted if you did not want to help.

As a side line of my main site I created a dog shampoo and lotion and a canine newspaper called Dog in Sight is doing a front page article about how I created the products and my business. I am excited about this since they publish about 20,000 copies per month. It is dedicated to our best friends (dogs) and has timely articles about their care and welfare. You can check them out online and request a copy if you would like. My story will run in the May edition.

My site is www.WhiteMountainNaturals.com

http://www.doginsight.com