There is life after amputation, and perhaps no better proof-of-concept than Mike Tanner, a part-time receptionist at Sacred Heart Convent. “I rode a motorcycle for eight years with my first amputation,” he said. “Once, all the way to Sturgis, South Dakota.”
Mike lost his left leg from complications of diabetes in 2014, and nine years later, his right leg as well. “When I lost my left leg my wife Barb and I went through it completely alone,” he said. “The fear of the unknow was hard. We did not know what to expect, nor how to manage all the complications of finding a way through life with our new reality.”
“If it weren’t for Barb and the good Lord I wouldn’t be here today,” Mike said. Barb Tanner has worked at the motherhouse for 18 years and now serves as a nurse advocate for the sisters. In fact, it was through Barb that Mike learned the sisters needed part time help at the reception desk. Now both Tanners report for work at the convent.
Sister Rose Marie Riley, the prioress at the convent, says the Tanners make an invaluable contribution to the sisters’ quality of life. “Barb is a kind and compassionate nurse who cares for our sisters with the highest level of professionalism. They love her and I believe she loves them just as much,” she said. And Mike? “Mike’s enthusiasm and warm welcome at the reception desk give everyone a boost—our sisters, our guests, and those who encounter him over the phone. We enjoy him so much.”
Though he’s been through the challenge of adjusting to life without his legs, Mike couldn’t be clearer now about his mission in life: Help others with amputations find the peer support they need. The inaugural meeting of his new group, the Life After Amputation Peer Support Group, is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at Sacred Heart Convent, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield.
“Mike’s enthusiasm and warm welcome at the reception desk give everyone a boost—our sisters, our guests, and those who encounter him over the phone. We enjoy him so much.”
The group will meet thereafter at the convent on the second Tuesday each month. Persons with limb loss and their caregivers are welcome. The convent has plenty of off-street parking, and accessible facilities.
Mike estimates there are 900 Central Illinois residents with some type of limb loss, whether arms or legs, fingers or toes. To his knowledge there has never been a such support group in the region.
The idea for a support group first occurred to Mike after he met five women from Alaska at a peer support festival for those with limb loss, held that year in Seattle. “The girls became good friends and leaned on each other for support,” Mike said. “I realized that I could do that for people at home, too. My main goal is to make someone’s quality of life better.”
Mike is happy to talk with anyone who has questions about the new peer support group in advance of the first gathering on April 8. They may email him here.
