| Cameron Clapp (triple amputee) | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1986 |
Cameron (Cam) Clapp (born February 18, 1986) is an American athlete with a disability. As a triple amputee, he has become a motivational speaker, mentor to young amputees, and amputee activist. He is also an actor.
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On September 15, 2001, at the age of 15, returning from a commemoration ceremony honoring the September 11 attacks victims, where he had become drunk, Clapp has no recollection of passing out on a railroad track near his home in Arroyo Grande, California.[1] His blood alcohol content was .229.[2] He was hit by a freight train travelling at high speed. His injuries required the amputation of both his legs above his knees and his right arm slightly below his shoulder.
The train incident lead to the traumatic amputation of three limbs as a teenager. Before the accident Clapp had been an active athlete. Following extensive rehabilitation and a series of prosthetic limbs, each more advanced than the last, he has become the unofficial spokesperson for young amputees who are embracing breakthrough technologies as a means of shattering the barriers between the disabled and the mainstream. I left the wheelchair five months after the accident and I don’t want to have to use it again, said Cameron, after mastering independent walking only five months after losing both legs, an unheard-of accomplishment leaving his rehabilitation therapists' speechless.[3]
Cameron has three different sets of specialized prosthetic legs: one for walking, one for running, and one for swimming. For everyday activities, he wears C-Leg brand computerized prosthetic legs developed by Otto Bock [4] of Germany and a conventional body powered hook in place of his missing arm. Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics performs the fitting and maintenance of his artificial limbs.
He has since participated in numerous athletic competitions for amputees, including the Endeavor Games from 2002 to 2005,[5] a nationally recognized competition that allows athletes with physical disabilities to participate in a variety of multi-sport events. Cameron's gold and silver medal accomplishments include running 100 meters in only 18 seconds and swimming 20 laps. He is additionally an accomplished golfer.
A Paralympic Games aspirant, Cameron's irrepressible humor kicks in: I'd love to be in the Paralympics, but there aren't enough athletes in my category. I'm the only triple amputee that runs! [6]
His acting career proved a natural segue to the publicity and acclaim garnered in disabled athletic circles. He has been characterized as the quintessential California teenager with blond hair, buff torso, and megawatt smile - on a pair of shiny, state-of-the-art robotic legs. [7] His roles have included: Jake, the no-legged boyfriend in NBC's My Name Is Earl and a wounded service member in the 2008 feature film Stop-Loss (film) [8] directed by Kimberly Peirce. In 2005 his accident and miraculous recovery was featured on the Discovery Channel's series Medical Incredible.[9] He also starred in two season's of HB0's Carnivale as the character of Management.
Clapp has additionally devoted hundreds of hours in counseling young amputees as to the endless possibilities of attaining mainstream functionality after life altering loss of limbs. He is an Amputee Coalition of America certified peer visitor.
His amputee activism has included extensive visitation and counseling of returning veterans of the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) who have sustained the loss of limbs, including multiple appearances at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Warriors in Transition program.[10]
In November 2005 he was honored with a Shining Star award at the 58th annual Shining Star Awards Gala [11] , an honor previously bestowed upon Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles. Sponsored by Just One Break Inc.[12] (JOB), a nonprofit organization founded in part by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1947 to promote the employment of disabled World War II service veterans, the award recognize[s] individuals and organizations whose achievements and/or support further the potential of people with disabilities, either by example or by supporting JOB in its mission of helping qualified applicants obtain sustainable employment.
On January 2, 2008, his identical twin brother Jesse was found dead from a drug overdose in a home in Grover Beach, California.[13][14]