This is hilarious! You got to watch at least to the "amputate...*boop*" part. Gotta have a sense of humor! 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITT6bYYGVfM

I am sorry to see the summer end, but happy ski season is around the corner.  To celebrate the last days of summer, my friends made Paella, a traditional Spanish dish and we enjoyed it outside in the warmth of the California sun.

I hope you all had a great summer too. 

My Calif. ACA lobby day partner and I were in congressional hearings today and met every other hour with senatorial & congressional aides on the topic of healthcare and prosthetic parity. Do you care? Or do you think you will just always be taken care of? Think again.... the insurance companies care less about doing the right thing. A doctor that used to work for a prominent insurance company testified that her bonus was based on denying patients expensive tests, procedures, therapies, medical equipment, etc. And look at the "pre-existing condition" clauses in your insurance plan. Scary. The pharmaceutical companies "stick it" to us (and/or our insurance companies) with inflated drug prices. The doctors are incentivized to do more expensive and sometimes even unnecessary procedures.  Medicare and Medicaid has paid on the basis of quantity and volume, rather than on the basis of value and outcomes.  Medical malpractice lawsuits have driven doctor's insurance costs up and they are passing those costs on to us.  It's a sick game; and the patient becomes a pawn and American citizens are paying the price both financially and with their health.  Many people seem to think of this as "someone else's problem..." until it is their own child, parent, sibling, best friend or themselves. It truly is a problem we need to work on together to get fixed. 

edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2...

The ACA did a great job organizing the "storm the halls of congress" day.  Please write/call your local congressman/woman and senator about the need for better healthcare and prosthetic parity. Go to the ACA site for info. - its very easy and it does make a difference! 

www2.prnewswire.com/mnr/aopa/40117/

Please read about the current lobbying efforts of the ACA for prosthetic parity.  I will be participating in the September 16th event and if your congress man/woman is not represented at these hearings (or supportive) PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

www.amputee-coalition.org/

If you can't make it to Washington D.C., then please - attend a local meeting/hearing and/or call or write a letter following the guidelines on the site. 

Just got back from a great summer surf clinic with the AMPSURF group. I never thought it would be possible to surf again, but they got me up on the board. Day 1 was pretty much a joke; I was just popping up and

off the board, but by Day 5, I was able to sustain some balance and ride a wave. I wouldn't say I exactly shredded it, but I had a good time! I will put video footage of some of my better (ha ha) rides in my private folder.