Monique Van Den Boom, Author at ProMotion Prosthetics

Our Athletes

Feb 1, 2016

Dr. Hannah Macdougall

Meet Hannah, an extraordinary individual who has achieved remarkable feats both as an athlete and an advocate for inclusion and well-being. With a dual Paralympian title and a previous World Record under her belt, Hannah has consistently showcased her talent and dedication.

As a decorated athlete, Hannah has led the Australian Swimming Team as captain in prestigious events such as World Championships and Paralympic Games. Her extensive international career in swimming and cycling dates back to 2001, where she has proudly represented Australia in numerous competitions at the international, national, and state levels.

Beyond her athletic pursuits, Hannah is a passionate advocate for inclusion, mindfulness, and overall well-being. With a Ph.D. in Athlete Well-Being, she leverages her expertise as a “pracademic” to contribute to the betterment of athletes’ lives. Additionally, Hannah has served as a senior advisor for community programs and campaigns at the Victoria State Emergency Service, further showcasing her commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

To stay updated on her inspiring journey, you can follow her website, where she shares her experiences and achievements.

Join Hannah on her path of triumph and inspiration as she continues to excel in sports and champion important causes.

Kerryn Harvey

In 2013 Kerryn became an upper limb amputee after contracting a life threatening bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis following a bicycle accident. It was devastating news for a sports fanatic like Kerryn. Prior to her amputation Kerryn had been participating in many triathlons from Sprint distance to Ironman, Fun Runs from 5k to Marathon, and Cycle events from 20km to 2000km!

Following Kerryn’s amputation she was determined to regain her fitness and health so Kerryn set about re-learning to ride, run and swim. Although there have been many challenges along the way, Kerryn is now back competing as a Para-Triathlete. In 2015 she represented Australia at the World Para-Triathlon Championships in Chicago, winning a silver medal in her class, giving her number 2 ranking in the world. An incredible achievement only 2 ½ years after becoming an amputee and almost losing her life!

Being fit and healthy and once again participating in sport has empowered Kerryn with the confidence to believe she can still achieve anything she wants to in sport and life.

Ross Mason

Ross made the decision to move to from sprint distance triathlons to the longer course triathlons; and has regularly completed the IronMan 70.3 event.

Ross competed in Geelong 70.3 doing his fastest time ever in the swim for that distance race and fastest bike & run.

He is always looking for a new way to push himself and planning his next Olympic distance race.

Ross plans on adding another bungee jump to his belt while in Cairns… adrenaline junkee, or what?!

You can follow Ross on his facebook page.

Glen Jarvis

Glen Jarvis is an Australian Representative Para-Triathlete and you can follow his achievements via his facebook page.

Angus Murrie

Angus racing the Para Mens Under 17 800m at the 2022 Australian All Schools Track and Field Championships in Adelaide

Angus Murrie is quite simply a determined hardworking young man. At 16 he is still yet to decide which area of sports he wants to seriously pursue, but having his first running blade fitted by ProMotion Prosthetics less than 12 months ago means the opportunities and choices are wide open.

Becoming an amputee following a severe bacterial infection when in Primary School, Angus has set challenges to steadily improve his mobility skills competing in both the School Sports Victoria (SSV) Cross Country and Athletics programs over the past 5 years.

Angus first became a National Champion in 2022 as part of Team Victoria competing at the School Sports Australia Triathlon/Aquathlon Championships and retained his title in March 2023. Angus has adapted to middle distance track events where he collected a third National title racing in the 800m Para event as part of the 2022 All School’s National Athletics Championships held in Adelaide.

Angus is an active member of the Melb based Inclusive Sports Training (Triathlon Club) & Glenhuntly Athletic Club.

Making a Splash with your Prosthetic Limbs

Jan 26, 2016

There are a lot of activities out there that you as a prosthetic user shouldn’t feel limited in doing, just because your prosthetic limbs don’t allow it. Did you know that we as prosthetists can design and manufacture limbs especially for you to take part in these activities? Gone are the days where you have to sit back and miss out on all the fun! Some of the activities when having a specialised prosthesis would be useful include:

GOING TO THE BEACH

Some people avoid the beach all together, because in the past sand and sea water haven’t gone well with prosthetic limbs, but now days there are a lot of components that have been rated as waterproof, and can make walking to/from the beach and enjoying the water with friends and family possible.

CAMPING/SHOWERING WITHOUT DISABLED BATHROOM FACILITIES

Clients have commented that having a waterproof prosthesis opens up a lot of opportunities when traveling or camping, when you don’t have to be restricted to hotel rooms or cabins with disable shower facilities. Having a prosthetic leg that you can wear in the shower makes this so much easier.

SWIMMING

If you want to improve your fitness in the pool, a specialised swimming arm or leg can help you build strength and technique while you swim laps.

RUNNING

Perhaps running is more your way of keeping up your cardio fitness, so a specially design running leg can be made, purely made for running and running and running!

CYCLING

Historically, prosthetic legs have used shoes with cleat attachments in them, on their prosthetic foot, however direct attachment of the cleat to the prosthetic leg has been preferred by some cyclists, as it allows a more direct transfer of power when peddling. And for prosthetic arms, there are ways to attach directly to the handle bars, to help control the bike when riding, but with a quick release function, in the case of the rider coming off the bike.

GYM

There are plenty of terminal devices for prosthetic arms that can be used for working out at the gym, which help hold on to weights and bars like this type of attachment. I Am Adaptive is an organisation that has a facebook page that posts pictures and videos of prosthetic users of all shapes and sizes coming up with creative ways of working out. There are some amazing ways to achieve results from people out there, so it is well worth a look.

PROSTHETIC DESIGN

The way your prosthesis looks is up to you. There are endless ways to make your sockets colourful, as well as covers for your limb to help tie in your individual image of yourself with your limb. These days, we as Prosthetists can incorporate pretty much any design into your socket and limb, so if you have an idea of how you want your prosthetic limb to look, share them with your Prosthetist.

A History of Prosthetics

Jan 15, 2016

A History of Prosthetics from Egyptian toes and Pirate legs… how far have we come?

Considering the very first prosthetic toe, seen here on this Egyptian mummy was made from a paper maché type mixture of linen, glue and plaster… we’ve come a long way in the development of Prosthetic materials and technologies. Nowadays, we see more modern materials, such as carbon fibre, titanium and fiberglass in the make up of our custom prosthetic sockets, and with technologies incorporated into our componentry,that include vacuum systems, microprocessor units and shock absorbers, that journey since that first mummy’s prosthetic toe dating back to 600BC has been a long and winding one.

On my quest to find out more about the history of Prosthetic limbs, I came across this fantastic article “Wooden Legs and Duck Feet: A Brief History of Prosthetic Innovation”, written by Lex Berko, that outlines this exact topic. Happy reading!