The Haitian Amputee Soccer team concluded their three-week goodwill tour of the United States with a visit to the Little Rock area. The team was able to meet with Rick Fleetwood, CEO of Snell Prosthetics, and City of Bryant Attorney Chris Madison, who lost his leg in a boating accident when he was 10. Madison , a former police officer, recently ran in the Boston Marathon. Mr. Fleetwood called the team “a great inspiration to everyone the come in contact with”. Mr. Fleetwood and Snell prosthetics recently donated 30 prosthetic feet and the hardware to attach them, flexible liners, and suspension sleeves. This is most of the modular componentry required to build a below-knee prosthesis. Additionally, Prostheticare Fort Worth donated raw materials and technical assistance to fabricate the custom made part of the prosthesis (the socket). With the raw materials, Fort Worth prosthetics Tim Goldberg provided the casting, modification and fitting expertise to complete the delivery of the leg to Haitian National team member St Melio.
One of the highlights of the Central Arkansas tour was a visit to the VA hospital in North Little Rock, where the team sang, performed a demo and interacted with a veteran who just turned 101.
The team will now prepare their return trip to Haiti and continue practice in preparation for an exhibition with the U.S. Amputee team to be played in Haiti in January of 2018. The team plans to return to the United States in the spring of 2018 with stops tentatively planned for Dallas, Houston, Little Rock. In October, the Haitians, currently ranked 7th in the world, will participate in the 2018 World Cup in Mexico.
Isn’t just like our creator to use amputees from the poorest country in the western hemisphere to encourage those living in the richest country in the western hemisphere to overcome their challenges through perseverance and a thankful attitude. Shelly Hughes, who was at Chick-Fil-A in Bryant, Arkansas for lunch, interacted with Dr. Sorrells and stated, “I just wanted to thank you for helping those who have disabilities. I know each of these young men have a story and thanks to you, their stories will be heard. God bless you
Please pray for the team as they travel back to Haiti and prepare for the exhibition with the U.S. Amputee team in January. We also ask prayers on the planning of exhibitions, school tours and fundraising events within the United States in the spring of 2018.