COOPERSBURG, Pa. — Trading crutches for a golf club, Stephen Kave balanced on his remaining leg as he teed up at Wedgewood Golf Club Friday.
"I've been doing this now for a while and it's been good both mentally and physically,” Kave, a Vietnam War veteran, said.
- The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group held its 17th Annual Golf Tournament
- The group connects people who have lost a limb
- Funds go to help pay for prosthetics, a ramp for their home or specialized devices for driving
Kave, of Bethlehem, has been an amputee for more than 50 years after losing his leg to a war injury and is a part of the Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group through Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“Just the camaraderie and keeps me off the couch,” he said of what drives his long-time participation in the group.
He was among 60 amputees who hit the links in Coopersburg on Friday for the group’s 17th Annual Golf Tournament.
"Over the 17 years, we've raised $400,000 for amputees," said Kimberly Bartman, who is a patient coordinator with Lehigh Valley Health Network.
"We put it in a fund and then that fund gets distributed as patients need it, whether they need help to pay their prosthetics or ramp for their home, be able to drive again, those kinds of things.”
'They feel disconnected'
Bartman said she started the group two decades ago so her amputee patients could connect with others like them.
"They realize that ‘we're not the only one’ and so being connected with other amputees and services that they need is so important."Kimberly Bartman, Founder, Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group
“We find so much that they feel disconnected, and then when they see another amputee or become part of that support group, they realize that, ‘We're not the only one,' and so being connected with other amputees and services that they need is so important,” she said.
"To me it's having someone who can relate to what I'm going through and we all have different reasons why, but we all have similar problems, too,” said amputee Mike Frey of Washington, New Jersey.
Frey lost his leg to cancer more than 45 years ago.
"It's just the camaraderie of being with these guys,” Frey said. “Every amputee I met, always, we always have a good time. We're always laughing, making the best of the situation and it's just the camaraderie.
"It makes it the best."
"We represent a little less than 2% of the population, so you know, we've got to look out for each other."Steven Blatz, Nazareth
Steven Blatz, of Nazareth, lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. He agreed with Frey’s sentiments, saying, "We represent a little less than 2 percent of the population, so you know, we've got to look out for each other."
Two hundred golfers participated in the tournament; sixty were amputees.
Those interested in learning more about the Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group can contact Kimberly Bartman at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
