PORT ANGELES — The two “So Every BODY Can Move” teams at this year’s Big Hurt weren’t just out for a race this weekend. They were out to make a difference.
So Every BODY Can Move is a project to not only raise awareness about the need for improved insurance coverage for orthotics and prosthetics, it’s taking action with bills being introduced and passed in state legislatures to mandate better insurance coverage for amputees.
Nicole Ver Kuilen is a co-founder of Forrest Stump, a nonprofit and fiscal sponsor to the So Every BODY Can Move initiative.
Ver Kuilen, of Vancouver, explained that insurers will usually cover basic orthotics/prosthetics so amputees can enjoy some mobility, but these basic pieces of hardware are not feasible for people who want to run or engage in athletics. For instance, Ver Kuilen, who lost her leg to bone cancer when she was 10 years old, has a basic prosthetics leg that she said is fine for road cycling.
But for running, she needs prosthetics with a blade and that can cost between $10,000 to $15,000, which most if not all insurers will not cover because they don’t consider it necessary, forcing people who want to be active to try and find a way to pay for it completely out of pocket.
“When you run, you’re putting four times your body weight on your leg,” she said. Ver Kuilen said she was always active and broke her foot every six months and ran her pelvis out of joint by trying to run on a basic prosthetic.
There is legislation proposed in Washington for 2025, being sponsored by Monica Stonier of Vancouver, to mandate insurance coverage for orthotics and prosthetics that would allow people to participate in athletics.
She said bills are being proposed in 37 states, and eight states have passed legislation.
The So Every BODY Can Move teams sent their message in a recent famous endurance race in Oregon which goes from Mount Hood all the way to the Oregon Coast. They just finished a grueling hiking race, called the Mammoth Trail Fest, in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., that went 16 miles and climbed 3,800 vertical feet. They decided to bring their message to the Big Hurt, as well.
“[Race director] Lorrie [Mittmann] has been phenomenal. We wouldn’t be doing it without her,” Ver Kuilen said. “We’ve been on the phone almost every day for two months.”
So Every BODY Can Move recruited six people for two separate teams at the Big Hurt. Both teams completed the four-person team category, finishing together in 5 hours, 42 minutes and 23 seconds.
