Flying Mike Brown Gets A Leg Up!

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Sean Childress of Childress Orthopedics (Chino, CA), Corey Gibbons (Denver, CO) (Orthotic/Prosthetic technician) and Dino LaCapria (Limb Craft of Orange, CA) have combined forces to provide a left above-the-knee prosthesis for Brown. The leg is to be designed and fabricated entirely by parts and materials donated by these companies. Care, design, fitting, fabrication and follow-up will be provided by Childress Orthopedics.

Design, fabrication and fitting of the initial prosthesis will happen within the next couple weeks. After the initial fitting, the acclamation period could range anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on what Mike can handle. Childress’ goal for Brown to be using his prosthesis with confidence is 2 months after the initial fitting and he advises Brown, “Much like racing, there will be hills to climb as you acclimate yourself to your new leg.” When asked what motivates Childress and his associates to provide such a generous gift, he simply replies, “I just want to see Mike walk into Anaheim I.”

Mike is beaming with excitement and enthusiasm from the overwhelming support once again displayed by the motocross community. For now, the goal is to get Mike to walk before he can run which means using more basic technology before stepping up to the fully robotic prosthesis such as the Otto Bock C-Leg. Think of it in terms of taking your friend who has never been riding to the track for the first time; you want to start them out on mellow, rider-friendly bike before cutting them loose on James Stewart’s full on works bike. As for the materials required even for this “basic” prosthetic leg, they are enough to make any MX aftermarket product manufacturer blush, both in terms of technology and cost. For updates and photos of the prosthesis during the fabrication process, be sure to check out Mike’s profile on www.competitionfriend.com .

While a bulk of the expenses have been covered with the donation of the prosthesis itself, there will be additional costs as Mike navigates therapy and his new lease on life. Even though completion of the prosthesis is not too far down the road, it will take a little longer for Mike to get “back on his feet” both physically and financially so we have created an account for him at Competitionfriend.com. You can get updates on the construction of Mike’s new prosthetic leg as well as make online donations here: http://classifieds.competitionfriend.com/5800070ÿ

Won’t you please help us walk “Flying Mike Brown” into Angel Stadium for Anaheim I.