04/25/2026
A loss is a loss no matter how small. The trajectory of your life can flip on a dime.
While I was in the middle of writing my second thriller novel, the unimaginable happened. A faulty pontoon gate design took my dominate hand’s smallest finger and damaged nerves and tendons in the hand and ring finger.
This fraction of a second in time put me on a new path, one of advocacy for better safety gate designs and for boater safety awareness. It also led my dad and family in a new direction.
After being told by the biggest prosthetic companies that there was nothing they could do for me with a full pinky loss and ray amputation, my dad designed and patented a functional prosthetic that can be worn like jewelry and FixaDigit was born! I can even wear a painted nail again.
Although we are in the early stages of production, the goal is to be able to work with hospitals to produce these free of charge for children eventually, funding the venture by selling to adults at extremely low cost. Because let’s face it, although a finger is perceivably a small loss, it’s a loss just the same.
My dream is now to be able to walk into a room someday and ask a kiddo if they want me to make them a mermaid colored “robotic” finger or something more of a dinosaur green.
Today is Show Your Mettle Day, a special moment during Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month to celebrate strength and perseverance.
Mettle is defined as a person’s ability to face difficulty or adversity with courage and determination. For our community, that definition runs deep.
For some, mettle looks like metal — a prosthesis, a mobility device, a medal earned, or a piece of hardware that supports daily life. For others, it’s something less visible but just as meaningful: adaptability, advocacy, creativity, endurance, or the quiet strength it takes to keep moving forward.
Today, we invite you to take part by sharing a photo or story that represents your mettle and what it symbolizes as we look toward the next 40 years of community and progress.
Use , , and , and tag Amputee Coalition so we can celebrate alongside you.
Amputee Coalition
