Stig

My long stump has always been very useful and I can’t remember anything I couldn’t do because I was one handed. I rode my bike to school and participated in all activities both at school and at home. When we were playing and had to hold hands my playmates just grabbed my stump without hesitation, just as if it had been my hand. I don’t think they saw me as being different.

When I was 15 years old, I got my first and only prosthesis. It was a passive prosthesis, it looked realistic but limited what I could do with my stump too much. After a few tests at home, I put it in a drawer and disposed of it some years later. I have never tried a prosthesis after that.

After a couple of years at the Royal Institute of Technology, I offered my services to the Telephone Company and was employed as an engineer. Later in my career I was an Operations Manager with a Contract Cleaning Company; later became a Data Processing Manager, and now for the past 9 years I have been a Data Consultant developing new systems for our customers. It’s a job I really like; I have a lot of contacts with interesting people, making analyses of their business, leading seminars, and working with the creative phases of systems development. Ever since I’ve been working, I’ve had no problem getting a job as an amputee. My last two jobs were offered to me without my application.

As a congenital amputee I think my brain is so used to my body being as it is that I can’t imagine how it would be to have a hand at the end of my right arm. It wasn’t until I began surfing on the web that I became aware of the fact that I am an amputee. I found some amputee sites and later I found the ARM-AMP list and subscribed. After I had introduced myself there, I got a mail from Bill asking me to check the I-CAN site and consider joining I-CAN as a mentor. I was already familiar with this site and was very glad that he asked me. I have found I-CAN to be like a great family and I hope I can contribute with my experience. If you think I can be of any help don’t hesitate to ask me.

A few weeks after I joined I-CAN some people from The Swedish Dysmelia association found my subscriber profile and called me. Dysmelia is the word used for congenital amputation in Sweden. I joined them and some months later I became chairman of the board. We have about 1800 members and 400 of us are congenital amputees. We are supporting children with limb differences and their families as well as adult congenital amputees. We arrange several national and regional camps and meetings annually and we cooperate with the medical and orthopedic centers for congenital amputees in our country.