The North Pole--Breaking News! Santa Clause has just underwent emergency below-the-knee amputation. Doctors attribute Santa's condition to diabetes, complicated by the billions of chocolate chip cookies he eats every year at Christmas.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, located in Atlanta, GA, estimates that 84,00 Americans lose their legs each year to complications from diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that weakens the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels and blood pressure, making it very easy for diabetics like Santa Clause to damage the blood flow to their legs and feet. The same process damages nerves, making it easy for diabetics to injure their feet without ever knowing it.
North Pole, Inc. hopes that Santa's condition creates greater awareness of diabetes and the procedure of amputation around the world. Santa also hopes to increase social understanding for those diabetics who struggle to maintain a healthy diet.
With Santa's mobility temporarily diminished, prosthetists from St. Louis have been making regular trips to the North Pole. Just one month after his surgery, Santa is now doing therapy with his new prosthetic leg. He plans to be right back up to speed by mid year and is eagerly anticipating the Christmas of 2007.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Santa Gets New Leg, Begins Rehab
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