Ripples #61
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Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck
U.S. Soldier Eager to Swim
After Double Arm Transplant
A former American G.I. who lost both arms and both legs in a 2009 roadside bombing in Iraq recently received a double arm transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
At a news conference at the end of January — six weeks after the surgery — 26-year-old Brendan Marrocco named driving a car and swimming as two activities he’s especially looking forward to performing with his new arms.
A Foxnews.com article on the ex-soldier quoted him as saying, “I just want to get the most out of these arms, and just as goals come up, knock them down and take it absolutely as far as I can.” Marrocco wears prosthetic legs, but he found not having arms and hands extremely limiting.
The article reported it could take up to two years before the young man gains substantial use of the transplanted limbs, depending on how quickly nerves and muscles regrow. Doctors believe Marrocco’s amazingly upbeat, optimistic spirit will aid in his recovery.
“He’s a young man with a tremendous amount of hope, and he’s stubborn — stubborn in a good way,” said Dr. Jaimie Shores, [Johns Hopkins Hospital’s] clinical director of hand transplantation. “I think the sky’s the limit.”
Dr. Shores added, “I suspect that he will be using his hands for just about everything as we let him start trying to do more and more. Right now, we’re the ones really kind of holding him back at this point.”
Video: To watch a clip of this inspiring young man speaking at the press conference, click here. To watch a news report of what was involved in the intricate surgery, click here.
Ripples Classic: October 2011
Cavalcade of 1950s Swim Caps
— a Real Blast from the Past!
We don’t pay all that much attention to swim caps nowadays, but apparently in the 1950s they were considered important fashion accessories — as this somewhat campy (by today’s standards) British Pathé clip demonstrated.
Who was the male foil for the bevy of frilly-capped beauties in the show? None other than Punch of “Punch and Judy” fame. The yam-nosed puppet seemed a bit befuddled by the whole thing: Perhaps he missed trading blows with Judy?
What Ripples can say about this clip is — to borrow a phrase from a ’50s DeSoto car commercial (which came from an earlier Cole Porter song) — “It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely.”
Video: Punch will always be Punch (not exactly a looker) but the ladies in the fancy swim caps are real knockouts. To get knocked out by them, click here.
And with that, Ripples once again says…
Until next time, happy watershaping to you!