Some of you may be interested in the reality that innovation is alive and well in the US and that suffering a traumatic injury does not mean that you have to hang it up:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/10/137552538 ... tter-limbs
Hugh Herr's legs were amputated below his knees in 1982 after a climbing accident. From his knees down to the floor, he's completely artificial.
"I'm titanium, carbon, silicon, a bunch of nuts and bolts," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "My limbs that I wear have 12 computers, five sensors and muscle-like actuator systems that able me to move throughout my day."...........