Information about amputee

reddirtwriter · Jun 14, 2016

I'm working on a short story and one of the protagonists is an amputee. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to answer a few questions and/or read through the final version. One thing in particular I'd like to know is how dark does the humor get.

Thanks

Jon

WeaselFire · Jun 14, 2016

reddirtwriter said:
One thing in particular I'd like to know is how dark does the humor get.

I've got a friend (had, he passed away last year) who was a double amputee from a motorcycle accident. For a long time, people were very careful not to talk about handicaps or amputees around him. Except his brother. We all thought the brother was an ass for the jokes and comments he made until my friend happened to mention he knew how much his brother loved him by the fact that his brother was the only one who treated him the same before and after his accident. The comments can be very ugly, it all depends on the amputee as to how they are perceived. We stopped taking offense because our friend didn't mind and, in some cases, encouraged it.

Unfortunately, I can't make a recommendation for a beta reader.

Jeff

aygnm · Jun 21, 2016

I have known two amputees. I co-wrote a book, ORDINARY MIRACLES: My Incredible Spiritual, Scientific and Artistic Journey with Sir Rupert A.L. Perrin, MD, a two-time Nobel Prize nominee.

Dr Perrin is no longer with us as he died in December 2008. He lived to the age of 79 and accomplished much on a humanitarian, medical research, and cultural level. I ghost/co-wrote his memoir.

Dr. Perrin had one leg amputated to the knee as well as half of his other foot (this is in the book). He didn't want morphine during (I think) the second amputation because "Jesus didn't have morphine on the cross." (Did I mention he was religious?) I believe the first amputation was due to diabetes. As we wrote in the book, even having a medical degree didn't make him infallible.

He walked around with an elegant cane, which made him look even more distinguished because he was solidly built and always dressed in the most fashionable suits.

Maryn · Jun 22, 2016

How dark the humor can get depends on the person. I've known two amputees well enough to know how they dealt. The woman (practically a girl when I knew her) was sensitive and prickly, unable to tolerate the most gentle jokes. The man had a much darker sense of humor and was find with jokes about it, although in private he worried about when he'd still get laid by strangers other than amputee fetish folks. (He did.)

I think you have to write the story as it seems best to you, not worrying about the possibility of offense, unless what you put in is likely to offend virtually all amputees.

Maryn, perhaps not that helpful

reddirtwriter · Jun 22, 2016

Thanks all, the humor wasnt that dark in the end, more teasing. There were some good youtube videos on how a prosthetic goes on and comes off. Got some of the terminology right from that too.

Information about amputee

reddirtwriter

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

aygnm

Maryn

At Sea

reddirtwriter