Donating ACL tear braces?

[hapandpam]

DD tore both ACLs, two years in a row. She was cleaning out her closet and came across her four braces (post-surgery and the one you wear at 6 weeks). Each one cost well over $500. I was wondering if anyone knew if there is anyplace we could donate them. I hate to just throw them in the garbage but I can't think of any reason to keep them.

Any suggestions?

 

[akcire]

DD tore both ACLs, two years in a row. She was cleaning out her closet and came across her four braces (post-surgery and the one you wear at 6 weeks). Each one cost well over $500. I was wondering if anyone knew if there is anyplace we could donate them. I hate to just throw them in the garbage but I can't think of any reason to keep them.

Any suggestions?

Call the doctors office. If they can be safely used again, I am sure the office can give you ideas where they can be donate.

 

[Pixieflip]

Each one cost well over $500.

My DD is going to the orthopedist at 9am tomorrow for the mri to confirm what the initial doctor and her pediatrician are pretty sure is an acl tear of some degree. I'm very scared of cost.

What was your daughter doing to injure both two years in a row?

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Some of the braces do well on ebay - check out completed auctions for the ones you have before donating them.

DH has had 5 knee surgeries (3 in the past 3 years) and we sold some of his old braces and all of his IceMan coolers on ebay.

 

[coastiewifern]

I think it is a beautiful gesture to donate. Google for Haiti relief organizations to see if they can take them. There are so many limb injuries from the earthquake. UMCOR is one very well respected organization you could contact and they could perhaps point you in the right direction
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/

 

[camlace]

I was going to suggest the same thing about Haiti. A couple of weeks ago they showed a little girl on Extreme Home Makeover that donated her old prosthetic legs to a medical relief org in Haiti to use to amputee children. I would suspect braces would be welcome as well.

 

[hapandpam]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will be making some calls tomorrow.

DD tore her ACL playing soccer. After the fact, we learned a lot about it. Girls, because of having wider hips, are more predisposed to this injury. The first time it was raining, the field was wet, and she just twisted it. The second injury occurred about a year and a half later. Once again, she was playing soccer and just twisted the wrong way. Her coach thought she was nuts but she knew right away she had torn the other knee's ACL.

The good thing is that she found a career- physical therapy. She has just completed the second year of her doctorate program. You just never know...

 

[QVCshopper]

OP, please post what you find out. I broke my elbow and had ACL surgery all within the same year, so I have a few arm and leg braces that need a good home. Also, that's great about your DD. I thought PT would be a wonderful career after my injuries, but I was already 30 and don't really want to start over.