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BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club volunteers help amputees receive prosthetic legs in the Dominican Republic

BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club visits the Dominican Republic
BYU 2ft Prosthetic Club volunteers smile at the camera among bags of 450 pounds of prosthetic materials at the Salt Lake City International Airport. This group of volunteers traveled and served amputee clients at the Dominican Rehabilitation Association in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (David Williams)

BYU students and alums volunteered to deliver 450 pounds of materials and assisted in producing prosthetic legs for amputee clients in the Dominican Republic from Aug. 23 to Sept. 1 through the BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club.

BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club visits the Dominican Republic
Custom prosthetic legs stand by the desk waiting for amputee clients. Amputee clients in the Dominican Republic who do not have the means to pay for prosthetics waited for the organization's outreach. (Heidi Hunter)

The club was established by BYU students in 2008 to reach out to underserved amputees in developing countries.

Students in the club have helped research and design affordable, high-quality prosthetics and helped gather and deliver donations to local clinics in the Dominican Republic for the past several years.

A group of 10 volunteers from the club visited a local clinic, Rehabilitación in Santa Domingo, and assisted clinicians and technicians in preparing, measuring and assembling prosthetic parts during their visit.

Ben Russon, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering, said their first day in the Dominican Republic started by sorting out and organizing the materials they brought.

He said the group participated in providing the right prosthetic size to each client by plastering the residual stump, measuring the patient's leg size, cutting materials to size and assembling the leg.

Sony Madrigal Santos, orthotics technician at Rehabilitación in Santa Domingo, explained that most common amputations happen from traffic, work accidents or diabetes, and this humanitarian work changes the lives of amputees who are underprivileged from having prosthetics.

Listening to clients' unexpected responses

Russon said talking with the clients was one of his favorite parts of the trip.

BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club visits the Dominican Republic
From left, Josh Frei, a client and Brent Harris stand in front of the camera. BYU alum Frei joined the trip with his father-in-law, Harris, who donated a variety of equipment including power drills, masks, goggles and tub cutters to this clinic. (John Taylor)

"It was really impressive how everyone I talked to had a positive outlook on their situation, and it was pretty inspiring," he said.

Alan Butcherite, a junior in mechanical engineering, said it was inspiring to see the clients thank God for the opportunity of getting a prosthetic leg.

"One of the guys we asked was like, 'What is the first thing you're going to do with your leg?' He was like, 'I am going to walk to church,'" he said.

Clip Taylor, a junior in manufacturing engineering, said it was surprising to hear from one client that losing his leg turned his life around. He said the experience helped him focus more on his family, work and things that truly mattered.

"It was not something I was expecting going on the trip, but I was really touched to see while we were there, felt so full. I was so full; I would not expect to see or observe those smiles," Taylor said.

He added that while he was talking with an eight-year-old who lost his leg in a car accident, the eight-year-old kept smiling as he shared something traumatic to him.

BYU 2ft Prosthetic Club visits the Dominican Republic
A BYU student volunteer assists in measuring the prosthetics with Sony Madrigal Santos, orthotics technician at Rehabilitación in Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic. BYU volunteers spent time in the clinic from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. to help make leg prosthetics with clinicians and technicians throughout their trip. (Ephraim Ong)

"He just had this positive perspective on life, and it was just what it was, and he was okay with it," Taylor said.

Taylor said he was interested in prosthetics because his three-year-old nephew does not have a hand.

He said his nephew was getting to a point where he might be interested in prosthetics.

Working with BYU students

Santos said he worked closely with BYU students, and "it was a very, very wonderful experience."

He said that the students learned fast, which surprised him as he taught some parts of clinical biomechanics.

Ephraim Ong, a senior in electrical engineering, said it was his second time traveling to the Dominican Republic with 2ft Prosthetics as a trip coordinator.

Ong said this trip was more meaningful for him than his first one, as he spent long hours at the clinic and had many conversations with the patients.

BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club visits the Dominican Republic
BYU Alumni Josh Frei is shaking hands with Cristina Francisco, a board secretary of the Rehabilitación association in the Dominican Republic. According to Riadis.org, Francisco consulted, trained and advocated for vulnerable populations on disability and human rights in the Dominican Republic. (Heidi Hunter)

He said there is a Spanish word "convivir" which means to live with, and that the group tried to focus on building deep relationships with patients by spending more time with them.

"We all have the ability to make an impact wherever we're at," David Williams, 2ft Prosthetics executive director, said. He explained that this impact can be made first by identifying where the needs are and understanding what skills or talents to offer.

"Really donating your time and your talents and your effort to be able to help the people in need is possible no matter what you are doing," he said.

He said that in addition to engineering students, students in public health, business, nursing and even local service missionaries volunteered.

Partnering with local clinics and donors

Williams said the club partners with local clinics with the goal of helping underserved populations.

He said the clinics are for-profit and provide charges for prosthetic services but meet plenty of clients who do not have insurance or the means to afford prosthetics.

BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club visits the Dominican Republic
A clinician checks prosthetics with a client. BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club served clients in need with clinicians and technicians at the Dominican Rehabilitation Association in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Heidi Hunter)

Thus, the club is involved in donating the supplies, and the local clinics donate their time to provide prosthetic legs for free, he said.

Many companies such as Penta Prosthetics, ST&G, Limbs for Life, Ottobock, Hanger Clinic: Prosthetics & Orthotics, Edwards Lifesciences and JetBlue provide funding and donations, supporting the club in reaching out to underserved amputees, according to Williams.

The club provided 433 legs serving 408 amputees in 30 partnering local clinics.

One million new amputations occur every year and 80% of new amputees are from developing countries, according to the club's 2023 annual report.