prosthetics

The rigors of daily life in a war zone are unimaginable to many; it’s a world filled with hardships, insecurities, and very real dangers to life and limb. Izzeddin Alnawasra, a 15-year old survivor of such a life, lost his leg in a traumatic amputation after sustaining a gunshot wound in May 2018. He later came from Gaza, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, to the United States, and arrived in a wheelchair—but “with a smile that would light up his whole face!” remembers Mike Kelly, CP, Izz’s prosthetist at Lawall.

The distance between Philadelphia and Fort-Liberté, Haiti, is more than 1,450 miles, and the two cities are worlds apart in many other ways, as well; but Deacon Alynx Benardin’s commitment to serve his parish and complete his path to ordination as a Catholic priest inspired others to help span that gap. Despite distance, language barriers, and pandemic travel complications, the arm Benardin lost in a vehicle accident in Haiti was successfully replaced with an above-elbow prosthesis and hand created in Philadelphia in 2020 by Lawall.

What type of individual is quoted in his medical chart as replying “all things considered doing pretty well” as he is being rushed into an ER after having his leg traumatically severed following a motorcycle accident? The same person who now proudly wears a t-shirt stating “Some Assembly Required” Hamilton Township Patrolman Robert Whartenby is a motivated individual with a fantastic perspective on life.