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In medicine a prosthesis is used to replace the function of a missing limb. Not only do they bring a sense of normalcy back to those who use them they also improve daily life. On average a prosthesis can cost anywhere from $5,000 - $50,000 and is only meant to last for 3 to 5 years. Meaning that this isn't a one time cost.

While there are many causes for someone missing a limb. The top 3 reasons for limb loss excluding birth defects is vascular disease (54%), trauma (45%), and cancer (less than 2%). Vascular disease can include diabetes which causes those affected to have a higher risk of amputation of the lower extremities. There are many diseases that can lead to amputation, most of them being about circulation. From the narrowing of the blood vessels in peripheral artery disease (PAD) to blood clotting due to various auto-immune disorders. About 185,000 amputations occur in the USA each year. The umber of amputees in the USA is estimated to be about 840,000. With that in mind only 31,000 prosthetics are the sold in the USA each year. Meaning a large percentage of amputees in need of a prosthetic can't get one for various reasons. The main cause of this is financial issues since prosthetics are quite expensive.