The daily struggles of life are difficult even without the added challenge of a physical disability. The cover story of the 7 November Church News details "the gift of mobility" and how those who receive wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs due to the generosity of others gain hope for a better life.
Howard Collett of LDS Philanthropies detailed stories from the Dominican Republic, where common modes of transportation include motorcycles, bicycles and walking. People who use these types of transportation in crowded cities are no match for larger road hazards such as buses, trucks and automobiles. When an accident occurs, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians suffer the greatest consequences. "Since amputation is free, it's a frequently used alternative for critical leg injuries," writes Collett.
Some in the Dominican Republic who suffer those injuries now benefit from a program in which the Church's Humanitarian Services, in partnership with Innovacion Ortopedica, is providing funding for 50 people each year to receive prosthetics that would otherwise be unaffordable.
