Patient Interview: Buddy Gau

Great Steps specializes in orthotics and prosthetics, and the services we provide for our patients is broad and expansive. We were fortunate to interview one of our patients- Buddy Gau- about his experience with our facility and our doctors and staff.

Buddy Gau is from Little Falls, Minnesota and is very active. He enjoys spending time with his three daughters and two grandchildren. He also enjoys running and teaching and helps out his neighbors and friends by mowing and snow blowing yards. It is safe to say that Buddy is on his feet most of the day.

After experiencing pain in his knee, Buddy visited Dr. Virgil Meyer of Little Falls Orthopedics to help find a solution to his pain. Dr. Meyer referred Buddy to Dave Kinsley of Great Steps for orthotics to help align his knee.

Buddy has been going to Great Steps for the past 10 years and says he is greeted with a smile every time he walks in the door. After a short wait, Buddy and Dave usually spend the first few minutes of the appointment catching up on things like sports, family, and everyday life. Buddy says he appreciates how Dave is able to squeeze him in for an appointment at the last second if he needs his orthotics tweaked.

We then asked Buddy what he thought of Great steps. We quote, “I can’t live without my orthotics and I hope Dave never retires.” He concluded the interview with, “I highly recommend Great Steps and would encourage others to visit them.”

Thank you, Buddy, for informing us and others about your experience with Great Steps. We look forward to working with you in the future. For more information about our Orthotics Services, visit us at http://www.greatstepsop.com/

Winter Safety

Winter is here, which means the temperatures dramatically drop, car doors are frozen shut and roads and sidewalks get icy. Whether or not you use a cane, walker or mobility device, walking on ice is still a difficult task. If you or someone you know has a disability which results in them being able to walk properly, the risk of falling on ice increases dramatically. For those with disabilities, it is important to take extra precaution with icy conditions.

1. Remove any snow or ice from sidewalks and other walking areas. Contact a local family member, friend or a professional that can do it for you. After this has been done, put kitty litter, sand or salt on any areas where you most commonly walk to help melt the ice.

2. Wear appropriate shoes or boots. When outside walking on an icy surface, wearing proper footwear makes a huge difference. Avoid wearing slick bottom shoes at all costs, and wear a sturdy winter boots or a slip-resistant shoe. Make sure your winter boots are waterproof, have thick insulation with a non-slip sole, and are lightweight.

3. Take your time and walk slowly on icy patches. We've all heard the phrase “Better be safe than sorry” before, and it is especially important to keep in mind when walking or using a mobility device on slippery surfaces. Give yourself more time to get to your destination by leaving early and taking your time. 

4. Attach ice picks to your cane or walker. This will help chisel out hard patches of ice, which will make it easier for walking across icy surfaces. Even with an ice pick, be sure to take your time!

By taking these safety precautions, you will have a safer winter season which will reduce your chance of slipping and falling. We want you to enjoy the beautiful winter season and worry less about slipping on ice. 

Years Later Tom Nathe Still Has a Pep in His Step

"A body in motion, stays in motion."

These are the words that Tom Nathe from Sauk Centre lives by.

 Upon meeting Tom, you wouldn't notice that almost 17 years ago on September 1997, his life changed when he was involved in a work related accident while trying to install an underground electrical line.

Initially Nathe, then 50, required an amputation below his left knee. However after numerous revisions to his prosthesis throughout 1998, his doctor recommended another surgery to remove approximately 2 1/2” to 3” of bone above the knee. This second surgery took place in December of 1998 and from there began his new life with a prosthetic leg.

Nathe began walking on an older model hydraulic limb that unfortunately provided limited stability and often led to his knee buckling if he wasn't careful walking around certain terrain.

"I was having accidents where my knee would buckle and I would just fall down," said Nathe.

This all changed in April 2000 when he decided try a new product that at the time was recently introduced to the US market.

The C-leg is a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg that is made by a company in Germany. Nathe was only the third person in Minnesota and the first in the St. Cloud area to receive this new computerized artificial knee and shin. The limbs joint is controlled by a microprocessor that allows the C-leg to read Nathe’s gait and movement at a rate of 50 times a second.

In life we often are faced with challenges and this was no different for Nathe. After going through his multiple surgeries, he was faced with more challenges as he had a house fire in 2001 and later that year his wife of 46 years, Jean, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like his wife did with his many surgeries, Tom was there for her every step of the way as she went on to beat the cancer.

Like the motto he has, Tom kept moving on with a smile on his face and his new C-leg that allowed him to walk with more freedom and with less worry that he may fall.  “It’s easier to go on walks with my wife and to do stuff with my kids and grandchildren,” Nathe has 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. He even got to get back on the golf course with his friends from work.

Nathe wasn’t going to let his prosthetic leg slow him down, soon after the surgeries he went back to work and would often speak to others in the industry to make sure the same accident doesn’t happen to them.

Nathe has been retired now for 12 years but don’t think he has stopped moving, he still works several part time jobs which include driving a bus, helping out with farming and being a hospice volunteer which he says is “the most rewarding experience,” and in his free time he is hunting, fishing and spending quality time with his loved ones. Just like he has in the past, Nathe continues to enjoy his life with a smile on his face, “everything I do is fun”.