Nonspec team at the temple!

This is my tribe, the folks who are working on the prosthetic project in Hubli – Kalyani, Chaitanya, Erin, Jon, Shruti and Brendan.  We’re a combination of a highly bonded core team (Erin, Jon, Brendan) and new additions from UML (me) and BVB (Kalyani, Chaitanya, Shruti).  What has happened is that we’ve quickly coalesced in to an effective team with the goal of having the prosthetic limbs tested on patients.  It’s been a blast watching the BVB students using their technical skills, acquiring tools or supplies to get the prosthetics ready for the patients.  They are also culturally savvy – and can ask the appropriate questions to the patients and professionals involved.  I add the medical/nursing prospective: how does the device affect the patient’s activities of daily living, the stability of the limb and impact on the tissues.  It’s an exciting and nerve wracking time for the core Nonspec team, as this is the big event – with all of the lab testing done, how will the patient with amputation perceive the devices.  These are beautiful, functional, and low cost – a dream product that can impact the lives of thousands of amputees, especially in financially disadvantaged areas of the world.

Tomorrow is our big day – we meet our first patient at 8:30!