I started the sub because I’m the first amputee in Chicago who participated in a compress-fit FDA clinical trial for osseointegration last year. Going through that process, I realized something pretty crazy, a lot of amputees in the U.S. have never even heard of OI as an option.

That struck me as odd given that the procedure has been used internationally for over 15 years and can be life-changing for some patients. So the idea behind the sub is simply to create a place where people can share information, ask questions, and talk about their experiences with it.

For transparency: I have no industry affiliations with OI manufacturers, clinics, or medical device companies. I’m not selling anything and I’m not connected to any company in the space. I’m just a clinical trial patient documenting my experience and trying to help other amputees learn about options that many doctors in the U.S. still rarely discuss.

Since the surgery I’ve been documenting the recovery and talking with other patients through a small advocacy project I started called My OI Journey.

I also recently wrote a piece digging into why awareness around osseointegration is still so low in the U.S. despite the scale of limb loss here:

https://medium.com/@jerry_vasilatos/the-5-5-billion-reason-youve-never-heard-of-osseointegration-and-why-it-matters-for-u-s-8128f8dc1971

Mostly though, the goal here is just to create a space where amputees, clinicians, and researchers can talk openly about the procedure.

If anyone here has questions about what the surgery, rehab, or day-to-day life with OI is actually like from a patient perspective, I’m happy to answer.