To the Editor:

As a member of the Amputee Coalition of America, I was pleased to receive the proclamation by the governor of the State of Kansas, recognizing April as the month for limb loss awareness. As the proclamation states:

• Statistics show 500 people lose a limb each day in the United States, and 1,000 babies are born each year with congenital limb difference.
  
• Seventy-five percent of limb loss is preventable.
  Diabetes and peripheral vascular disease are leading causes of limb loss.
  
• The number of amputations per day will double by 2050 unless a major public awareness campaign is launched.

The Amputee Coalition of America provides education, outreach, advocacy, and a National Limb Loss Information Center (900 E. Hill Ave., Suite 205, Knoxville, TN 37915).

The proclamation encourages all citizens to join in recognizing the importance of limb-loss awareness, celebrate people with limb loss and limb difference living full and productive lives, express gratitude to caregivers who are a source of support and motivation, and salute combat amputees who have lost their limbs in service to this country.

—Marvin W. Goodman, Lenexa