Jocelyn Wong, MSPO, CPO
:: more than just another pro triathlete ::
"Be the change you wish to see in the world..." -Gandhi
"Be the change you wish to see in the world..." -Gandhi
A few years into my amateur triathlon career, I realized I wasn't anywhere close to realizing my dream job of becoming a professional triathlete. I figured that I better have a back-up plan, or something that could at least fund my triathlon hobby. It is actually through triathlon that I discovered another passion and my chosen non-triathlon career path: prosthetics. One of the triathletes in my local club, Inland Inferno Triathlon Club, was an amputee and biked and ran using a prosthetic leg. I also met Rudy Garcia-Tolson at one of the San Dimas sprint triathlons, a young double amputee who went on to become a multiple Paralympic Champion in swimming and finished his first Ironman triathlon last November in Arizona.
During the summer before my senior year in college, as I was training for my own first Ironman, I worked as a research assistant at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas on a prosthetics research project. I was then formally introduced to the clinical profession of prosthetics & orthotics, and was very much inspired by our research subject, another amputee who was also a recreational cyclist. The simple act of walking is difficult for patients who are missing a leg due to amputation or congenital deficiency, and on a daily basis they remind me of the many abilities that most people take for granted.
Soon I embarked on a four-year post-graduate journey, graduating in May 2006 from Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA) with a clinical master's degree in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO). I completed my orthotics residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and my prosthetics residency with Gary Berke Prosthetics in conjunction with Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. In early 2009, I passed my final board exams and became a Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist (CPO). CPO's are responsible for evaluating and casting patients with physical impairments, fabricating the braces and artificial limbs, and then fitting them.
As a member of teamTBB, I have also made the time to volunteer at prosthetic missions while training in the Philippines, and have found it to be a great way of balancing the sometimes selfishness of professional sport with the selflessness of volunteering my other skill set. This is just the beginning of teamTBB's "I Can" Program which will be expanded to other countries around Southeast Asia in the next few years. I believe that everyone has the social responsibility to make the world a better place, but it's up to you to make the time and commit to it. Below are some photos along with a summary of my experience in the Philippines:
During the summer before my senior year in college, as I was training for my own first Ironman, I worked as a research assistant at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas on a prosthetics research project. I was then formally introduced to the clinical profession of prosthetics & orthotics, and was very much inspired by our research subject, another amputee who was also a recreational cyclist. The simple act of walking is difficult for patients who are missing a leg due to amputation or congenital deficiency, and on a daily basis they remind me of the many abilities that most people take for granted.
Soon I embarked on a four-year post-graduate journey, graduating in May 2006 from Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA) with a clinical master's degree in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO). I completed my orthotics residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and my prosthetics residency with Gary Berke Prosthetics in conjunction with Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. In early 2009, I passed my final board exams and became a Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist (CPO). CPO's are responsible for evaluating and casting patients with physical impairments, fabricating the braces and artificial limbs, and then fitting them.
As a member of teamTBB, I have also made the time to volunteer at prosthetic missions while training in the Philippines, and have found it to be a great way of balancing the sometimes selfishness of professional sport with the selflessness of volunteering my other skill set. This is just the beginning of teamTBB's "I Can" Program which will be expanded to other countries around Southeast Asia in the next few years. I believe that everyone has the social responsibility to make the world a better place, but it's up to you to make the time and commit to it. Below are some photos along with a summary of my experience in the Philippines:
teamTBB's "I Can" Program
In the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009, I was able to make time before, during, and after training camps in Subic Bay, Philippines, to volunteer as a certified prosthetist-orthotist. I had the enriching experience of volunteering at both prosthetic missions in rural areas of the Philippines as well as at the head prosthetics clinic at Philippines General Hospital (PGH) in Manila. I worked alongside the prosthetic technicians to learn the types of casting and fabrication techniques they utilized locally. The missions we attended were in more rural and underserved areas of the country. Some patients were known to travel several hours just to see us in order to get a new prosthetic leg, in many cases their first prosthetic leg. These missions were sponsored by the Philippines chapter of Physicians for Peace, local rotary clubs and local governments. It was very rewarding to help these patients achieve greater mobility and thus regain their independence. Many patients were unable to work due to their disability, but with their new legs were able to regain functionality and able to get back to work and provide for their families.
In November 2008, I also worked on a very high level prosthesis (a hip disarticulation amputation, where the entire leg was removed from the hip joint down) from start to finish at the Manila PGH clinic on a young girl who had a rare form of muscle cancer. This type of prosthesis is also rare and the clinic director, Dr. Penny Bundoc, had requested that I come and help educate their technicians on casting and fabrication techniques that I learned both in school and during residency. It was a big team effort as the materials available in the Philippines are different than back home in the USA, so we had to play by ear and adapt as new challenges came about. This prosthesis was a success and the girl was able to walk on it immediately, despite having just gone through a round of chemotherapy! She is doing well to this day, as a college student and musical performer, she is able to walk with and wear the prosthetic leg during stage performances as she sings.
As a prosthetist from America, the interactions with both the patients and the local technicians were very enlightening. I found that the patients to be extremely grateful for the provision of a new prosthesis and hardly ever complained--they were very tough and resilient. Several patients came into the clinic walking on prosthetic legs they had fashioned themselves, using materials such as a coffee can and string, or carving an entire leg out of wood.
As for the technicians, even though I received more formal education than they had, many of our techniques were very similar and they were very creative when it came to finding solutions to problems. I learned that even though techniques I had learned in the USA may be considered more modern or technologically advanced, they weren't always the best used in countries where the availability of certain materials was sparse. Sustainability is an important factor to consider as they simply cannot rely on certain products that are not manufactured locally. We were able to exchange ideas and it was not just me teaching them, but they taught me as well. Some of them had more experience in the field than I did, and I learned that experience can trump education! We learned from each other.
In the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009, I was able to make time before, during, and after training camps in Subic Bay, Philippines, to volunteer as a certified prosthetist-orthotist. I had the enriching experience of volunteering at both prosthetic missions in rural areas of the Philippines as well as at the head prosthetics clinic at Philippines General Hospital (PGH) in Manila. I worked alongside the prosthetic technicians to learn the types of casting and fabrication techniques they utilized locally. The missions we attended were in more rural and underserved areas of the country. Some patients were known to travel several hours just to see us in order to get a new prosthetic leg, in many cases their first prosthetic leg. These missions were sponsored by the Philippines chapter of Physicians for Peace, local rotary clubs and local governments. It was very rewarding to help these patients achieve greater mobility and thus regain their independence. Many patients were unable to work due to their disability, but with their new legs were able to regain functionality and able to get back to work and provide for their families.
In November 2008, I also worked on a very high level prosthesis (a hip disarticulation amputation, where the entire leg was removed from the hip joint down) from start to finish at the Manila PGH clinic on a young girl who had a rare form of muscle cancer. This type of prosthesis is also rare and the clinic director, Dr. Penny Bundoc, had requested that I come and help educate their technicians on casting and fabrication techniques that I learned both in school and during residency. It was a big team effort as the materials available in the Philippines are different than back home in the USA, so we had to play by ear and adapt as new challenges came about. This prosthesis was a success and the girl was able to walk on it immediately, despite having just gone through a round of chemotherapy! She is doing well to this day, as a college student and musical performer, she is able to walk with and wear the prosthetic leg during stage performances as she sings.
As a prosthetist from America, the interactions with both the patients and the local technicians were very enlightening. I found that the patients to be extremely grateful for the provision of a new prosthesis and hardly ever complained--they were very tough and resilient. Several patients came into the clinic walking on prosthetic legs they had fashioned themselves, using materials such as a coffee can and string, or carving an entire leg out of wood.
As for the technicians, even though I received more formal education than they had, many of our techniques were very similar and they were very creative when it came to finding solutions to problems. I learned that even though techniques I had learned in the USA may be considered more modern or technologically advanced, they weren't always the best used in countries where the availability of certain materials was sparse. Sustainability is an important factor to consider as they simply cannot rely on certain products that are not manufactured locally. We were able to exchange ideas and it was not just me teaching them, but they taught me as well. Some of them had more experience in the field than I did, and I learned that experience can trump education! We learned from each other.
For more information on the profession of prosthetics & orthotics and disabled sports, please visit the following links:
O&P Careers
Georgia Tech MSPO Program
OandP.com
American Board for Certification in O&P
Gary Berke Prosthetics
International Paralympic Committee
U.S. Paralympic Team
Challenged Athletes Foundation
O&P Careers
Georgia Tech MSPO Program
OandP.com
American Board for Certification in O&P
Gary Berke Prosthetics
International Paralympic Committee
U.S. Paralympic Team
Challenged Athletes Foundation
