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Reprinted From the Newark Post, Sept. 21, 2007
New challenges for amputee
John Horne opens Newark business, trains for Main Street Mile on Oct. 20
By Chrstine Neff, September 19, 2007
In his line of work, Newark business owner John Horne meets many people he considers to be inspiring.
"Every person I see that is a prosthetic patient is an inspiration to somebody around them," he said. "When you see somebody with a prosthetic (limb) accomplish something, it seems that much more triumphant."
Horne knows how even the easiest tasks can be made more difficult by the loss of a limb. At 15, as a freshman at St. Mark's High School, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had his right leg amputated below the knee a year later. The cancer was gone, but it took six months for him to learn to walk again with the help of a prosthetic, he said.
Since then, Horne has pursued a desire to make prosthetics and help patients who use them. He became a certified prosthetist, orthotist and pedorthist and has more than 12 years experience in the field.
Earlier this year, he opened his own company, Independence Prosthetics-Orthotics Inc. on Meadowood Drive in Newark. "We go out of our way for our patients' needs," said Horne.
His four-person staff evaluates patients who have been referred by their physicians, makes measurements and designs custom prosthetics for them made of lightweight materials.
To his patients, Horne is something of an inspiration, able to relate his own experiences to what they are going through. He understands the importance of dealing with the emotional side of a limb loss, in addition to the physical needs, he said.
"Everybody's experiences are different, but patients have a comfort level with me," he said.
His own comfort level was disrupted, somewhat, earlier this year when a friend presented him with a challenge: to run the Main Street Mile, a race down Newark's Main Street planned for Oct. 20.
"Nic (DeCaire) was definitely the instigator," said Horne. Though Horne has participated in other sports, he never got involved with running. To the question of why not, he answers, smiling, "That's what you have a car for."
But he has taken the challenge in stride. He trains at DeCaire's gym, Fusion Fitness on Main Street, and jogs outside. He wears a special prosthetic with a joint socket designed to handle the impact of running.
Come race day, Horne hopes for a successful finish. "I'm just looking forward to hanging my sneakers up after the run," he said.
Horne is a member of the Amputee Support Group of Delaware, which meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Riverside Medical Arts building, 700 Lee Boulevard, Wilmington.
For more information about the group, call Gloria Price at 778-2227 or e-mail amputeesgofde@aol.com. Horne's business, Independence Prosthetics-Orthotics Inc., can be reached at 369-9476.
31 Meadowood Drive Newark, Delaware 19711 302 - 369 - 9476 fax 302 - 369 - 9060 Office Hours 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday thru Friday
For your convenience, please call to schedule an appointmentCopyright . Independence Prosthetics - Orthotics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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