Portland, Oregon: a city known for its charming bridges, vibrant food scene, and occasional misty showers. Also, Portland is the location of our Northwest center where five of our fantastic Arm Dynamics team members provide outstanding upper limb prosthetic care. Let’s meet the team that makes this center so special!

Mac is our prosthetist and clinical manager at the Portland Center. He's pictured below with his patient Wendi. Mac relishes helping people get back to doing what they love. “Coming into work and seeing a person go from such an extremely low point in their life back to a very joyful life is lovely. There’s so much positive reinforcement for what we do, why we do what we do, and what kind of impact it has on people’s everyday lives.” Mac is a foodie, and Portland, OR, is the right place for that kind of person. For sports, Mac follows the Portland Timbers, the MLS team. “But my dad was from Chicago, so I’m also a Cubs fan,” Mac told us. Mac also enjoys living so close to the wilderness and coast, with the opportunities for hiking and fly fishing that it offers him, his wife and their two kids.

Portland prosthetist Mac Lang, works with patient Wendi Parker on her actiivity-specific attachments

Jamison is our occupational therapist at the Portland Center. He’s been there for about two years, and in that time has been so excited to see all the ways that prostheses have benefitted his patients. “Someone will come in and we’ll be able to assess all their needs, even what they might need for their hobbies. And then, once the insurance approval comes in and we can fit them, I can show them how to use their device to return to what they love that’s the best. I enjoy meeting patients who have been with us a long time and really know how to advocate for themselves, and I enjoy meeting new patients, and we get to learn what they need together.” After work, Jamison, who also considers himself a foodie, loves to go out for dinner (“I’ll eat almost anything”). He takes nightly walks with his partner and his dog and has a soft spot for the Lord of the Rings books and movies “I’m a bit of a Tolkien nerd.” Below you can see him with his patient, Isaiah.

Cotton-Featured

Shannon, pictured below with our patient Doug, is our center patient coordinator at the Portland office. It’s her job to schedule appointments, track each patient’s maintenance, and “run the ship.” Shannon has been running the Portland ship for going on 14 years, and one of the things she finds so rewarding about her job is how she gets to follow each patient through their journey, from their first step in her center’s door, to calling them on the phone a week after they’ve received their prosthesis to see how they’re doing. “I really cherish creating those deep relationships with our patients and seeing them regularly. There are many of them I consider just as close as family. I love getting to show them how willing I am how willing we all are to fight for them to get the prosthesis they need.” Family is a big part of Shannon’s life, both her work family and her actual family. “I’m always with my family after work. And if it’s college football season, my family and I are watching the Ducks. It’s my brother’s alma mater and it’s a rule that if you’re going to hang out with us you have to be a Ducks fan.” Shannon has two adult children, and when she’s able to spend time with them, “my world is complete.” “When I have time, I love to go to the beach, be outdoors, cook. All my favorites.”

ShannonSocial

Cullen, below, is the Portland Center’s prosthetic technician. He’s the one working in tandem with Mac, designing and creating each prosthesis to meet every patient’s own needs. “I love finding that balance between what they’re asking for and what we’re able to make, and that gap gets narrower every year as technology advances. We meet people each week who are in a position they never thought they’d be in, needing a prosthesis. We get to watch them go from one of the lowest points in their life, to realizing they can do this, dust themselves off, and they get on with it.” Outside of work, Cullen has a busy life with his wife and three kids. “We own a 1910’s farmhouse and that’s a never-ending remodeling process.” When they’re just able to relax, the whole family likes to play board and card games: “Carcassonne, which Mac plays too, and Settlers of Catan, those are favorites. And in the summer we get outdoors a lot.”

_DSC9507

Lauren, the center’s newest team member, is their patient relationship manager. “Everyone has been so nice, and I’ve been receiving so much support from the people here and my fellow patient relationship managers in other locations. It means so much to me when I’m just starting. I’ve been spending my time sitting in on a lot of evaluations, learning about the different devices. I’ve seen so much hope here, it’s lovely to see.” Lauren moved to Portland from Hawaii. “I miss Hawaii, but I’m looking forward to everything here. The food alone! Plus, I love to golf and be outdoors I miss the near constant sun of Hawaii but am happy to be able to experience the seasons and winter sports again.” Outside of work, Lauren reads in her spare time. Some of her favorite authors include Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros. Also, Lauren often brings her dog to work, and he’s become a bit of a mascot for the center. “He brings so much joy to the patients who want to meet him.” Below you can see Lauren and her pup, Billy.

Wow! It was such a pleasure to speak with each member of the Portland team and get to know them better. It makes one envious of people who get to live in such a beautiful and diverse area! We’re so glad to have them all on board.

If you would like to have a complimentary consultation with our Portland team, either in person or via video chat or with any of our other teams, please contact us. Each of our clinical teams feature upper limb specialists whose goal is to get you back to your goals.

If you’d like to leave a comment, please do so below.

Subscribe!

No Comments Yet

Let us know what you think