Limb Loss Awareness Month
Limb Loss Awareness Month, formally known as Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month (LLLDAM), is honored every April. It is a time to recognize millions of Americans living with limb loss or limb difference, to promote inclusion and honor the resilience of these individuals.
Every year, this month focuses on education, empowerment, and advocacy efforts related to limb difference and loss. These initiatives encourage people or individuals living with limb dissimilarity or absence to share stories about overcoming certain life challenges. There are plenty of ways to get involved in this important awareness month.
Why LLLDAM Matters
Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month matters because over 5.6 million people throughout the U.S. live with limb loss or limb difference. Limb loss is a life-changing event that impacts the person emotionally and physically.
Individuals with limb difference, which is often a congenital limb difference (presenting at birth), are also impacted by emotional and physical challenges. Studies show that people with both limb loss (resulting from acquired amputation) and congenital limb differences are at increased risk for depression and anxiety. This month promotes awareness of these challenges, sparking conversation and celebrating the strength that those adapting to life with limb loss and differences display every day.
How It All Started
LLLDAM was founded by the Amputee Coalition in 2010 in the United States to raise awareness about limb loss and limb difference. Its history goes even further back. In 1986, amputees began forming networks and sharing experiences of how they were affected by limb loss. Support leaders of these groups eventually formed the Amputee Coalition.
This prominent coalition established Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month to formally celebrate the achievements and resilience of people living with limb loss and limb difference. LLLDAM is also recognized and commemorated in the United Kingdom, Australia, and many other countries across the globe.
Not All Limb Loss Is the Same
The causes of amputation and limb loss vary. According to research, around 185,000 amputations are performed annually in the U.S. Over 16 percent of these amputations are accidental and traumatic; for example, those who work with machinery are at risk of suffering accidental amputation. The rest are a result of medical conditions such as diabetes or vascular diseases that require the limb to be removed to preserve overall health.
Whether it's sudden amputation caused by trauma, a result of disease, or a congenital difference, learning ways to adapt to everyday life is key for those living with limb loss or difference. This adaptation often requires high-quality mobility aids to support independence, make daily tasks easier and safer, and preserve freedom of mobility.
Examples of mobility devices that assist people living with limb loss are:
Prosthetic limbs
Home accessibility features like ramps, grab bars, and stairlifts
How Can I Participate in LLLDAM?
There are many fun and impactful ways to participate during Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month. Whether it's you or a loved one who has been affected by losing a limb or has a limb disability, here's how to get involved:
1. Wear Orange Wednesdays
Get funky and colorful! Wear orange each Wednesday during the month of April to start the conversation about Limb Difference Awareness Month. Orange is used because it's an eye-catching color that calls attention to the cause.
There is also an orange awareness ribbon honoring this day. Why not organize a “wear orange” day on a Wednesday as a workplace activity that raises awareness for LLLDAM? Get your coworkers involved, and spread the word.
2. Show Your Mettle Day
Losing a limb is serious business, but adding humor is part of human strength. Showing off your "mettle" a.k.a "metal" invites people to share photos of their prosthetic devices. It empowers people with limb loss and limb differences to create more lightness and advocacy around their resilience and capability.
3. Storytelling and Social Media
Storytelling and social media are two ways to form connections and play a small role (that makes a big difference) in the world of limb loss awareness. For instance, use hashtags like #LLLDAM and #ShowYourMettle, uploading personal stories of how limb difference or loss has affected your everyday life.
Other ways to storytell and use a social media platform are:
Writing a blog for a website that promotes inclusion for people living with disabilities of all types.
Showing a video and uploading it to your social media profiles, portraying what life is like with a limb difference.
Sharing art, poems, and quotes demonstrating the challenges and inspiration that come with living without a limb or with a limb difference.
4. Proclamations and Advocacy
Proclamations and advocacy that push for legislative changes on a state level, like some of the most vital changes in history, happen when like-minded people band together and advocate for change.
Pushes for state-level recognition and legislative wins like Colorado’s HB23-1136, which calls for expanding health insurance to cover prosthetics, are examples of this. Actively participating in and advocating for other disability awareness days, weeks, and months throughout the year is another meaningful way to be an ally.
5. Attendance of Events
Attending events like community meetups or support groups is a great way to get involved in LLLDAM. You don't necessarily have to be a limb loss or limb difference survivor to attend these groups. Even just showing up for a loved one will help everyone in this community feel more seen.
Check out online and local resources for individuals living with different types of disabilities for nearby events. Some of these will include virtual meetups, allowing you to get involved in these causes from anywhere in the country.
Spread Awareness About Limb Loss
LLLDAM is about spreading awareness around the topic of limb loss and limb difference. It's about creating action, advocacy, and a strong support system for yourself or for those living with this issue. If you are new to limb loss or are supporting someone who has recently experienced it, every effort helps to make a more inclusive future.
A simple way to participate is to spark and keep the conversation going about what it's like to live without a limb or have a limb difference. Also, go ahead and be bold and loud! Wear orange, share stories on social media, and attend LLLDAM events. These powerful actions will contribute to a healthier, happier, and empowered future for people with limb loss and limb differences.