Our Story

On an icy winter morning in 1988 our director ( Suzanne Langlois ) slid off a rural road into a ditch. The car flipped end over end landing upside down. A passing tradesman forced open the passenger door and carried her to safety on the far side of the road, a neighbor called for an ambulance.

She had broken her back in several places and had crushed the first spinal lumbar. After three weeks, immobile in the hospital, she was fitted for a fiberglass cast which extended from under her arms to her mid thighs, as well as a gravity brace for her left leg.

Her cast and brace were measured and manufactured by a man who was a double amputee with two prosthetic legs. He made an indelible impression on her.

When the body cast was finally removed, a friend of Suzanne’s asked her to donate it to a group of doctors and nurses  who spent their vacations performing free surgeries in South America.

After that, she began collecting prosthetic limbs and related medical supplies for use in developing countries. Arm and Leg.org ( 501C3 ) was established to collect, refurbish, and ship no longer used prosthetic devices to areas of need.

In the United States, prosthetic devices are prohibited from reuse by law, but in emerging areas of the world the gift of a leg can change a life.