Setbacks are no reason to give up, however, in business or otherwise, and often the most successful are those can take a failure, turn it around, adjust their goals and try again. Adam White is no stranger to disappointment; in fact, “disappointment” is a serious understatement when you’re referring to the loss of a limb. In 2013, White lost his left foot in a motorcycle accident. Thanks in part to the support of his community, who held several fundraisers for him, White was able to obtain a prosthetic leg that allowed him to walk again.
However, White experienced what many amputees experience, which is the shock of having a metal rod where there used to be a limb. To help with this trauma, several companies have begun using 3D printing to create inexpensive prosthetic covers, or “fairings,” which can be customized to match the shape of the client’s remaining leg. The technology has also allowed for a lot of creative expression; amputees can choose from a wide variety of colors and designs, or even design their own fairings to fit their personalities. When White heard about these, he wanted to make his own. He launched a Kickstarter campaign to help him raise money to buy a 3D printer, which he planned to use to print fairings not only for himself, but for veterans and other amputees in his community.
Sadly, that campaign, which ended in March, fell short of its goal and wasn’t funded. White didn’t give up, though; he just modified his goal with a new Kickstarter campaign that, while less ambitious, is just as worthy an endeavor. Rather than buying a 3D printer to make his own fairings, White is now trying to raise money to purchase fairings to be given, free of charge, to military veterans who have lost limbs.
Regardless of the new campaign’s outcome, White has no plans to give up his attempts to help other amputees in his community. He is planning to start an Amputee Support Group in 2016 to help those who have lost limbs readjust to normal life. Discuss this article in the 3D Printed Prosthetic Cover forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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