AMP’D UP211

On Top

Recent Stories

AMP’D UP: The Healer Who Had to Learn How to Heal 

September 2, 2026

Dr. David Hausmann: When control disappeared, healing became an act of trust.  By Rick BontkowskiDr. David Hausmann understood control.  A successful medical professional and finely tuned athlete, David had spent years building a life around discipline. He understood the body. He trained his own relentlessly. Career, health, fitness, purpose – these were things he pursued with intention.  Life was good. And then, almost without warning, control disappeared.  A devastating flesh-eating bacterial infection

Read More »

AMP’D UP: The Quiet Heroes 

August 16, 2026

I first met Rex at the Amputee Coalition National Conference. Today, I’m proud to call him a friend and fellow advocate.    By Rick Bontkowski Every year, thousands of amputees gather at the Amputee Coalition National Conference. It’s a place filled with remarkable stories, incredible technology, and people proving every day that life after limb loss is anything but limited.  It was there that I met Rex Ellebracht. At first glance, Rex didn’t demand attention. He wasn’t standing on a

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Rewriting the Story 

July 2, 2026

Dr. Jokima Hiller with Sabrina, the superhero she created from her own journey of limb loss.    By Rick Bontkowski Somewhere along the way, a prosthetic leg became a superhero.  That sentence sounds impossible until you meet Dr. Jokima Hiller. Today, Sabrina lives inside the pages of two children’s books, Sabrina and Her New Shoe and Sabrina, The ShoeperHero. Young readers see an adventurous character overcoming obstacles with courage and curiosity. What

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Finding Solid Footing After Everything Fell Apart 

May 31, 2026

Katy Grainger’s journey through sepsis, limb loss, survival, and rebuilding a life with purpose.  By Rick Bontkowski Katy Grainger remembers waking up alone on the floor of her Hawaii home unable to understand why her body was shutting down. The room was dark. Her body ached. She struggled to piece together where she was and how she got there. Just hours earlier, she believed she was dealing with a small infection

Read More »

AMP’D UP: A Season to Start Again  

May 7, 2026

This spring, Angelina Martinson reminds us that the joy isn’t in being perfect, it’s in being willing to try.  By Rick Bontkowski, Spring doesn’t arrive quietly. It pushes its way in, warming the air, stretching the days, and nudging all of us back outside. There’s something about this time of year that invites movement. Walks get longer, trails call louder, and for many of us, it feels like a fresh start.  But for amputees, “getting back out there” can

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Awareness Changes Everything 

April 3, 2026

Limb loss changed my body. Awareness changed my purpose.  By Rick Bontkowski The room is quiet except for the soft mechanical rhythm of a prosthetic foot meeting the floor. Step. Pause. Step again. For many amputees, that sound marks the beginning of a completely new life.  April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month, and for the past several years, I’ve used this space in The Springs Magazine to highlight remarkable people in the amputee

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Why the Paralympics Matter  

March 7, 2026

Team USA’s Kevan Hueftle, proof that comeback is a decision, not a moment.  By Rick Bontkowski In early March, the world will turn its eyes to Italy as the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games open on March 6, 2026, and run through March 15. Over ten days, the best winter Para athletes on earth will compete across six sports and 79 medal events, carving speed and precision into snow, ice,

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Finding Your Voice – Gini Thomas and the Power of Advocacy 

February 9, 2026

For Gini Thomas, advocacy begins with showing up as herself and inviting others to learn, listen, and engage.  By Rick BontkowskiAdvocacy rarely begins on a stage. More often, it starts quietly, in lived experience, in unanswered questions, and in the decision to speak when silence would be easier. For Gini Thomas, advocacy has become both a responsibility and a calling.  Gini is an amputee, educator, and content creator who has

Read More »

AMP’D UP: Reimagining the Future in 2026: Viktoria Modesta & the New Shape of Possibility 

January 1, 2026

Viktoria Modesta challenges traditional ideas of beauty and ability, transforming her prosthetic into a powerful expression of identity, creativity, and the future of self-design. —photo by Propela Limited  By Rick Bontkowski, A new year invites more than resolutions; it invites reinvention. January is a moment to question old definitions and imagine what the future could look like if we stop accepting limits that were never meant to be permanent. Few artists

Read More »

AMP’D UP: The Rhythm of Reinvention 

November 28, 2025

Where technology meets soul, rhythm finds a new heartbeat—photo courtesy of Guinness World Records.  By Rick BontkowskiWhen life takes something from you, it often leaves behind a choice: to stop or to start again in a different way. For drummer Jason Barnes, that choice came after a devastating electrical accident that cost him part of his right arm. Most would have seen an ending. Jason saw an opening.  What began

Read More »

The Amputee Who Lost 250 Pounds and Found Himself 

November 1, 2025

Two photos. One man. A lifetime between them. Proof that change begins the moment you stop making excuses.  By Rick Bontkowski Some transformations are visible. Others happen deep within, in the quiet moments when you decide to stop giving up on yourself.  For Mark Ksobiech, the journey began with loss, the kind that forces you to start over completely. After the amputation of his leg, Mark faced not only the physical

Read More »

AMP’D UP – Crooked Halo: The Artistry of Eric Eckenberger 

September 28, 2025

Creating beauty from struggle, Eric’s halo remains unbroken.  By Rick BontkowskiSome people rebuild their lives after hardship; others transform that struggle into an engine of relentless creation. Eric Eckenberger is one of those rare souls who has refused to let the loss of a limb limit him. Instead, he has poured his energy into art, music, clothing, and community, crafting a life that is as inventive as it is inspiring. 

Read More »

Social Media

Facebook-f Instagram Twitter

New From Animag

Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

No spam, notifications only about Arts, Entertainment & Wellness In Hot Springs, AR.

Categories

On Trend

Most Popular Stories

About the Cover . . .  

“Brady Roseberry”  Featured at the Big Steam & Roots Music Festival Photography by Jay Hiatt  FIRST – Check out the Gallery Walk $250 Gift Card Giveaway on Pg. 4!  Hello, Hot Springs! As we lean into the autumn equinox, we’re celebrating with a burst of blues, hometown pride, and one seriously striking cover.  This month features

The Carework Project: Reckoning with Love, Labor, and the Living World  

By Jennifer Case  By Erin Wood  The Carework Project: Reckoning with Love, Labor, and the Living World is the third book by Conway resident and University of Central Arkansas creative writing professor Jennifer Case, released last month from Trinity University Press.   Combining elements of memoir, collage, interview, research, and cultural reflection, The Carework Project probes what care

Yoga: Benefits of Tree Pose 

Can you find this mural in downtown Hot Springs? Text a selfie in front of it to receive a free drop-in at The Yoga Place for any class in September. 501-651-0545. Photo by Missy Conry.  By Missy Conry & Melissa Stevens In yoga, balance is about more than simply standing on one

Fall Fashions Include Back-To-School Choices

The transition into autumn signals the busy back-to-school shopping season. As autumn approaches, style is taking a richer turn, and The Velvet Attic Boutique is bringing the season’s changing look to downtown Hot Springs. Their curated autumn lineup mixes seasonal colors, balances rich textures and versatile layers, and features transition-ready