ORTHOTECH PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS
MIKE BUGG , A MAN WHOSE PROSTHETICS INCLUDE LEGS, FEET, BRACES... AND SMILES /// BY RICK MARSCHALL
“You don’t have a leg to stand on.” We have all heard that expression – implying hopelessness, the odds stacked against you. For some people it is not irony, but a rough lifechallenge, physical truth as well as emotional crisis. The same is true for amputees in all situations. A Michigan man, however, is turning that metaphor on its head. Mike Bugg is that man, seemingly more than one man who is bringing hope, health, and happiness to amputees. He is an innovator, a service-minded charity-giver, a designer and builder of orthotics, a teacher, a pediatric specialist, the recipient of awards in his field. As the owner of Orthotech Prosthetics & Orthotics with four locations in the state (at the moment), his other titles are Nice Guy, and Mike Who Goes the Extra Mile. Formally, his titles and licenses read Orthotist, Prosthetist, and Certified Pedorthotist (one of three in the state, specializing in children’s challenges). Mike is involved in the fabrication of pro-active equipment, too, making face masks for the Detroit Pistons and knee braces for the Detroit Lions. 58 IHM HEALTH & WELLNESS MAGAZINE
