Prosthetics expert visits School No. 5

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Oceanside resident and prosthetics expert Robert Schulman visited School No. 5 on Sept. 29 to talk with students about prosthetics and invite them with their families to a benefit that sends children who are amputees to a summer camp called Camp No Limits.

Students eagerly investigated the various prosthetic devices that he passed around.

The children asked whether prosthetics are waterproof. Schulman told them there are special prosthetics for all kinds of sports, including for swimming.

He explained that it can take two to three weeks to make a prosthetic because there have to be several fittings to get it just right. Schulman added there isn’t one limb that can do everything. When making a prosthetic, the goal is to try to make each limb perfect for the person who will be using it.

The students also had unusual questions. For example, was a prosthetic ever made of Legos? Schulman told them, “Yes. It was very cool, with thousands of pieces. It didn’t work very well, of course.”