This story helped Tarver buy a leg

This story helped Tarver buy a leg

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Story Published: Jun 20, 2007 at 8:16 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jun 20, 2007 at 8:16 PM PDT

By Thanh Tan

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PORTLAND, Ore. - Tarver Hannant recently decided to amputate his leg, but he is now dealing with the fact his insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost of a prosthetic leg.

Hannant is an account executive at a small mortgage company. He is getting ready to celebrate his first wedding anniversary and the birth of his first child. With those factors in mind, he said he wants to be active without crutches.

Scars are visible all over Hannant's body from his head to his torso. Fifteen years ago, a power line fell on his head.

"It electrocuted me," Hannant recalled. "Went through and burned my arms, all my insides."
  
His left knee was destroyed and the lower leg was paralyzed. Persistent pain and 40 failed surgeries convinced Tarver to finally allow his doctors to amputate.

But life afterward has been just as frustrating.

"I haven't been able to hold my wife's hand," he said. "You can't carry a baby on crutches."

Hannant wants a prosthetic limb, which his doctors told him will cost anywhere between $30,000 to $50,000. His insurance, HealthNet, caps its coverage at $5,000, so Tarver and his friends came up with a catchy phrase they could print on T-shirts: "This shirt bought Tarver a leg."

He started selling them four days ago. As of Wednesday afternoon, he had raised more than $3,700. On his Web site, www.shirtsforlimbs.com, Hannant is requesting donations of $25 or more.

Tarver estimates he needs to sell 2,000 shirts in the next month to pay for a replacement leg, but his vision goes even further.

"I'm not sick with cancer. I'm not getting my leg amputated because of diabetes. There's got to be a lot of people out there hurting," he said, adding he plans to help other amputees get new limbs, after he helps himself.
   
Eventually, Hannant would like to develop a non-profit to help others like him who have limited insurance coverage.

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