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Prosthetics project a true labor of love

By Jenny Llakmani 

Every great love story has passion. What makes a great Rotary love story is that something extra: passion for service. Carol Fellows and Tim Bewley have both.

The couple, who fell in love when they were both assistant governors in District 5110, celebrated their first wedding anniversary on 30 June. They also celebrated a successful trip to Los Angeles to share with Rotarians their other great passion, the LN-4 prosthetic hand.

Rotary Volunteer, Elaine Trump of D5110, trains a new hand recipient

Fellows and Bewley were among some 150 Arch C. Klumph Society members recognized for their support of The Rotary Foundation at a dinner at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on 16 June 2008.

Bewley learned of the prosthetic device during a 2005 trip to Vietnam. Inspired by how quickly recipients learned to use it and by their joy at regaining their independence, he joined with Fellows and Michael Mendonca, of the Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill, California, USA, to establish a foundation to provide the device at no cost to people with below-elbow limb loss in developing countries.

After industrial engineer Ernie Meadows and his wife Marj lost their daughter Ellen in a car accident, they set out to create a legacy to her . . . a selfless, no money-to-gain act to benefit children around the world.

When Ernie learned of the thousands who had lost their hands and limbs to land mines, he knew he had found what he had been looking for. That was the inception of the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand.

In 2005 Ernie gave permission for the hand to become a Rotary endeavor and signed over the rights during Far West PETS in 2006.  The rest is history as the Prosthetic Hand is now an official initiative of both Rotary District 5110 and 5160.

The LN-4 is controlled by the wearer’s other hand, which makes it easy to use and easy to fit. Fellows, a physician, noted that it has a much higher rate of acceptance among users than some of the more technically advanced prosthetic devices more common in the United States.

Young hand recipient in East Africa

"The best part was when some of our former recipients came and trained the new recipients," Fellows says. "One day in Uganda, we looked over and saw that one of our recipients was teaching another to tie his shoes."

The project got a boost at the 2007 RI Convention in Salt Lake City, when then RI President Bill Boyd named it among his favorite three projects in the Rotary world. Bewley says they are continuing to connect with Rotary. "We happily accept donations," he says. The LN-4 group, a joint project of dist

. 2000 people are involved in land mine incidents every month ... 1 person every 26 minutes ... 95% are civilians

ricts 5110 and 5160 (Oregon and California), also can help clubs find partners for Matching Grants.

"We would not be where we are today," Bewley emphasizes, "without the support of District 5160," which contributed $200,000 to the project last year, under the leadership of District Governor Candy Pierce.

Bewley’s plan is that Rotary clubs will work together to provide LN-4s to clinics where the need for prosthetic hands is great. "We’re looking for sustainability. We want to get host countries involved," he says.

But the couple’s passions don’t stop there. Last year, Fellows and Bewley decided to make a gift to the Foundation to fund an endowed Rotary World Peace Fellowship.

"We’re not wealthy," Fellows says, "but we’re both passionate about the Foundation." They also believe that those who are able to give should put the money to work right away.

"When you are looking at the quality of life of others around the world, if you are going the walk the talk, you are going to take risks," she says. "Rather than holding on and protecting, you need to do what it takes to make it better for others."