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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; An actual bionic leg strapped to what is left of his left thigh, Donovan White should be the client, but the amputee has become as much a teacher as any other prof for the students who man Misericordia University&#8217;s Physical Therapy clinic, offering free help to those who are under-insured and uninsured &#8212; like White himself was three years ago.</p><p>&#8220;I was in a car accident five years ago and developed staph infection in my leg,&#8221; White explained. After close to two years of failed treatments, &#8220;nothing worked so I made the decision to amputate it and move forward with my life.&#8221;</p><p>The snag: once fitted with a permanent prosthetic, White, of Wyoming, was denied insurance coverage for therapy to learn how to use it. Misericordia came to the rescue, offering help in exchange for the opportunity of real world experience for physical therapy students.</p><p>That was three years ago. He praises the school&#8217;s PT clinic and students for helping him master the high-tech device, which has a microprocessor in it that can vary settings for hydraulics in the calf that he adjusts using a smart-phone app. There are different settings for walking, cycling, swimming, tennis and motorcycle riding, to name a few.</p><p>White demonstrated the skills he couldn&#8217;t do before his time in the clinic, including walking sideways with resistance applied to the thigh bearing the artificial limb, lifting his feet alternately to touch the tips of small orange cones as he walked, and standing on a sort of squishy half-ball, maintaining balance while PT student Allison Amos stood behind him to make sure he didn&#8217;t fall and student Olivia Sumeriski tossed a small orange ball back and forth to him.</p><p>That simple-looking task, White said, took him about a year to master after getting the leg.</p><p>White, who works at a tattoo parlor in Wilkes-Barre six days a week and sports a lot of samples on his skin, said he appreciates the help the clinic provided so much he&#8217;s glad to stop by and work with new students once a week, giving them some input on how to work with amputees.</p><p>Both students praised their time in the clinic, noting they get exposed to more complex cases than they usually see in other settings arranged through the school.</p><p>Associate Professor Maureen Pascal said about 150 students help out in the clinic every year, and that there is room for more clients Those interested can contact her at mpascal@misericordia.edu, or at 570-674-6258. You can also email the clinic at ptclinci@misericordia.edu. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Donovan White, 28, of Wyoming, catches a ball while balancing on his prosthetic leg with help from graduate students Olivia Sumeriski and Allison Amos at Misericorida University&#8217;s Passan Hall in Dallas Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL102418PhysicalTherapy2-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Donovan White, 28, of Wyoming, catches a ball while balancing on his prosthetic leg with help from graduate students Olivia Sumeriski and Allison Amos at Misericorida University&#8217;s Passan Hall in Dallas Township. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL102418PhysicalTherapy1-3-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Donovan White, 28, of Wyoming, waits to demonstrate physical therapy exercises he does at Passan Hall on Misericordia University&#8217;s campus in Dallas Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL102418PhysicalTherapy1-3-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Donovan White, 28, of Wyoming, waits to demonstrate physical therapy exercises he does at Passan Hall on Misericordia University&#8217;s campus in Dallas Township. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Amputee offers advice at Misericordia PT clinic</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

At Misericordia’s free physical therapy clinic, patient becomes teacher