"The world breaks us all and afterward many are strong at the broken places." - -Ernest Hemingway
THE HON MAX CLELAND, war hero and former US Senator from Georgia, will inspire attendees at the 18th Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care with his account of the challenges he has faced as a triple amputee-the result of his tour of duty in Vietnam.
Cleland uses a wheelchair for his mobility, which puts him at risk for developing a pressure ulcer. As he takes conference attendees on his journey of rehabilitation and recovery, his inspirational words will give them a glimpse into the lived experience of a person with a disabling injury and the role they can play in improving the care of persons who are at risk for pressure ulcers for any reason.
FIGURE
Cleland's lecture, "Strong at the Broken Places," will kick off the conference on Thursday, October 16, and will be immediately followed by the grand opening of the exhibit hall. The conference will be held October 16 to 19, 2003, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago, IL.
This year marks the fourth time that the conference has invited a well-known role model, someone who closely understands the issues addressed by the conference, to speak. Previous special guest speakers have included Jill Kinmont Booth, the downhill skier who was paralyzed in a skiing accident before the 1954 Olympics; Ted Kennedy, Jr, amputee and cancer survivor; and Mary Jos, who was severely burned during the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
Explosion Changes a Life
More than 30 years ago, Cleland gained national attention when he testified before Congress about the difficulties veterans were experiencing when returning home from the Vietnam War. He had firsthand knowledge: Seriously wounded by a 1968 grenade explosion in Vietnam-just 1 month before the scheduled end of his tour of duty-he lost both legs and his right arm. During the 11/2 years he spent recuperating at various Army and Veterans Administration hospitals, he fought to overcome pain, depression, despair, and social rejection in an effort to put his life back together.
His experience testifying before Congress was the catalyst for his life of public service. Back in his native Georgia, Cleland became, at age 28, the youngest member of the Georgia Senate. An advocate for the rights of the nation's veterans, he then served as administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter. As the agency's youngest ever administrator and first Vietnam veteran, he instituted the Vets Center Program, which for the first time offered psychological counseling to combat veterans. Now, more than 200 Veteran Centers across the country offer support to combat and noncombat veterans and their families.
In 1982, Cleland was voted the youngest secretary of state in Georgia's history. He resigned the position in 1995 to run for the US Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Sam Nunn. Although outspent 3 to 1, Cleland was elected and was sworn into the US Senate in 1997. During his term, he earned enormous respect for his work in such areas as health care and education reform, bioterrorism preparedness, homeland security, and fiscal responsibility.
Cleland, who left the US Senate this year, is currently a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. He is the author of the personal memoir Strong at the Broken Places and Going for the Max!: 12 Principles for Living Life to the Fullest.
For more information about attending the Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care, visit http://www.symposiumonwoundcare, or call 1-800-346-7844, ext. 6591.