Ed Mirick was a right fielder in a senior softball league before injuries from a 1999 automobile accident near Austin resulted in the amputation of his right hand and right leg above the knee. Thanks to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas Outpatient Amputee Program, he has regained and maintained an active lifestyle and continues to work toward returning ot the field.

Losing part of an arm and a leg made things more challenging for Mirick, his physician and therapists. "His balance was really affected because he lost both limbs on one side," said physical therapy assistant Wendy Hider. "He really had to do a lot of work."

"As they worked with me, I realized the position I was in, and that there was a big challenge ahead," Mirick said. "My walking is fine, now. My next goal is to learn to run."

Mirick's physician, Dr. Arvind Peddada, said his positive attitude helped. "He had what can easily be called a devastating accident," Peddada said. "He really came to symbolize what rehab is all about: restoring functional independence despite whatever impairment or disability a person may have."

Mirick's therapists were impressed by his dedication to meeting the challenges he faces and for keeping his sense of humor. Sandy Devries, the occupational therapist who taught Mirick to use his prosthetic hand, says an incident he had in the supermarket might have discouraged a less determined patient.

"Ed chose a myoeletric hand, which took a lot of getting used to," Devries said. The myoeletric hand responds to muscle contractions in the arm, allowing the amputee to open and close the fist. If those muscles cramp, the patient may not be able to operate the hand until the arm relaxes.

Mirick's muscles cramped one afternoon while he was pushing a cart through the supermarket. He was unable to release his grip on the cart for five or six minutes. "That's a long time to stand there and wait," Devries said.

Mirick laughs at the story now. "I didn't know what to do," he said. "I thought I was going to have to take the cart with me."

Working with Peddada and Devries, along with therapists Wendy Hider and Bonnie Hurst, Mirick was able to regain his mobility and balance so he could perform household chores, mow the lawn and drive a car.

"I'm sure that without [the therapists] help, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now," Mirick said.

Hider and Hurst said Mirick was fortunate to work with physical and occupational therapists that offer services for both the hand and leg.

"It was definitely a learning experience for all of us," Hurst said. "Fortunately, our program is designed to accommodate the needs of the individual patient."

The Outpatient Amputee Program uses advanced equipment and rehabilitation techniques to improve balance and posture and increase muscle tone, flexibility, activity and tolerance. Getting used to a prosthesis and learning how to walk, sit and balance again can be challenging, but that doesn't mean an amputees must give up their freedom. Patients in the program get "re-trained" in everyday tasks such as shopping and cooking, getting in and out of a restaurant booth or reaching a top kitchen shelf.

This is done by using an urban community replica within the hospital that simulates these and other real-life situations in a controlled environment.

"[Mirick] was very independent before this happened and he wanted to be afterwards," Devries said. "He practiced a lot and was able to use his myoeletric hand to pick up pennies, and learning that fine motor skill is very difficult."

It is this "phenomenal perseverance," Peddada said, that makes Mirick a success story.

Mirick humbly shrugged off the praise of his physician and therapists and said, "they did all the work." They wholeheartedly disagree.

"He is a true inspiration to us," Devries said, "and definitely an inspiration to other amputee patients."