When Don Wayne tripped and tore his quadriceps tendon in January, he developed an intimate relationship with crutches, walkers, leg braces and even wheelchairs.
But as his leg slowly healed and a major victory meant “walking up the stairs without wincing,” the Walnut Creek entrepreneur decided to recycle many of the devices by donating them to local medical facilities.
His attempts proved unsuccessful. Although the wheelchair was returned to his health provider, he couldn’t find a use for the other devices.
“I called the Red Cross, I called the [American] Cancer Society, I called the American Heart Association,” said Wayne. “Nobody had any ability to accept these devices and nobody had any information about it. It seems it’s illegal to reuse them.”
But Wayne, who is “now about 98 percent healed,” wasn’t satisfied with those responses. He took a good look at the crutches, the walkers and the leg braces that were just sitting around and decided to take action.
Wayne is now coordinating a project based on this experience for Temple Isaiah’s sixth annual Mitzvah Day, which will be held this weekend at the Lafayette Reform synagogue.
His undertaking, one of 27, will involve volunteers collecting and cataloging prosthetic devices, crutches, walkers and canes, which will be donated to developing countries through the Barr Foundation, which provides assistance to amputees around the world.
A Barr representative from San Francisco Prosthetic-Orthotic Service will assist to ship the devices overseas.
The legality of prosthetic reuse is unclear even among health experts. But according to Anthony Barr, president of the nonprofit foundation, those in the prosthesis industry are “telling everyone you can’t use recycled components. They probably did this as a protection matter, but it seems a little self-serving.
“And there’s a lot of people who can’t afford these who could really use them,” he added.
Wayne, who is convinced many people have these devices lying around their homes, said has a real personal stake in the project.
“I understand what’s it’s like to be a handicapped person,” said Wayne. “To find out there was an organization donating these things to Third World people who can’t afford them — who are walking around with a tree limb rather than a crutch.
“It really resonated with me. That’s why I pushed this project for Mitzvah Day.”
Since its inception six years ago, Isaiah’s Mitzvah Day has been embraced by the synagogue community, according to Rabbi Roberto Graetz. The project was started as an attempt to help the congregation discover the many volunteer opportunities available in the larger community. This year, Graetz expects anywhere from 600 and 700 participants.
Projects range from polishing grave markers at the Isaiah Lawn in Lafayette’s Oakmont Cemetery to making greeting cards for Children’s Hospital Oakland patients.
Other projects include a barbecue reunion for current and past residents of Mountain View House, a transitional housing program; a sing-along at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville; a blood bank donation effort for Blood Centers of the Pacific; and a children’s book contribution to Books for the Barrios, which ships educational resources to schools in impoverished neighborhoods of the Philippines.
Volunteers will also do maintenance at Mount Diablo State Park, clean up animal habitats at the Oakland Knowland Park Zoo, clean up the Center for Education of the Infant Deaf and collect quality business clothing for Wardrobe for Opportunity — a group that donates clothing to economically disadvantaged Contra Costa County women entering the workforce.
“The idea is that these projects are just starting points,” said Graetz. “We hope the volunteers will stay connected and help throughout the year.”
Wayne, for instance, wants to set up a collection box for prosthetics next to the Temple Isaiah food donation box, “and keep this thing as a year-round project.”