Program helping amputees walk again in Boardman OHIO: Amputee Walking School

BOARDMAN, Ohio -

Three months ago, Barb Siman of Canfield found herself in a dark place. Not long after stepping on glass, she learned doctors would have to amputate part of her leg.

"I have a leg now and it is not the end of the world just because it is not a real leg. It is going to help you do the same thing that if you did have a real leg," said Siman.

Barb's new outlook is just one of the things she gained through rehabilitation therapy at Beeghly Oaks in Boardman. Barb is also taking part in The Amputee Walking School, which is led by Paralympic gold medalists Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, who visit the center once a month from Long Island.

"It is all basic strengthening exercises to strengthen their quadriceps, their hamstrings, the glute muscles to be able to control their leg above the knee side. It is being able to learn how to use the residual limb to control the leg and then it is just really giving them the emotional support that they need to be able to get back to living life again," said Dennis Oehler with The Amputee Walking School.

According to the CDC, more than 500 Americans lose a limb each day. Roughly, two million people live with limb loss in the United States. It's been Todd and Dennis mission to travel the country to show amputees like Barb their potential.

"The emotional support and the will and the ability to help these folks realize that there is a future is what it is all about," said Oehler.

To learn more about The Amputee Walking School contact Beeghly Oaks at 330-884-2300.