Pilot Begins Journey to Get Back WingsPilot Begins Journey to Get Back Wings"Two Sundays ago I rode my bicycle for the first time in four years!" said Maj. Andrew Lourake, proudly, with a tone of accomplishment that a child would reserve for an admiring parent. Lourake, a seasoned pilot assigned to the 99th Airlift Squadron, has surpassed many milestones in his military career, but acknowledging the simple act of riding a bicycle was a bitter-sweet triumph, which also dredged up dark memories of an accident that changed his life forever.
Lourake's life literally came crashing to a halt during the early morning hours of Halloween 1998. While he was riding his motocross bike through the woods in St. Mary's County, Md., his bike's throttle stuck and launched him several feet, and the impact injured his left leg. Some friends who had been riding with him contacted St. Mary's Hospital and an ambulance was dispatched. However, upon arrival, Lourake's injury was evaluated, and he was informed that he couldn't be cared for there. He was then evacuated by helicopter to the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland in downtown Baltimore. Due to numerous other medical emergencies taking priority over Lourake's injury, his surgery didn't take place until 8:30 p.m. that evening. That night, preparatory surgery was performed to reduce the swelling of his leg, which further preempted his knee surgery. The surgery included cutting two incisions on both sides of his leg to allow the fluid to drain out for a couple of days.
Unfortunately, the swelling didn't go down, and the physicians had to perform some skin grafts from his right thigh to close the open slits. They also repaired his knee, and he was subsequently released.
"I went home thinking I was going to be back to normal in about four months," said Lourake.
However, after being home for six days, he started to run a high fever and the pain became too intense for him to handle. When he returned to the hospital, his examination revealed that he had acquired a hospital-borne antibiotic-resistant staph infection, which occurs in approximately one percent of all surgeries. The surgeons and infectious disease doctors set out to eradicate the infection, but were unsuccessful. The diagnosis after eight surgeries was to remove his knee and give him a totally new knee joint. The operation involved cutting pieces of bones from his knee and replacing it with a total knee joint. His leg was then fused straight with a steel rod through his femur and tibia. After about 18 weeks of antibiotics, three times a day, Lourake was sent home. He then started a very aggressive physical therapy program here at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center.
"I remember never getting a day off from therapy workouts," said Lourake. "I had to be there every day, including weekends and holidays. I even had to come in on Thanksgiving, but I did get Christmas off."
Lourake enjoyed the physical therapy and relished any minute improvements. But there were days when he dreaded the daily physical regimen. "I recall one day just sitting in my car in the hospital parking lot. I just started crying," Lourake explained. He knew that he was in for a series of extremely painful exercises, which sometimes lasted 5 to 6 hours a day. Eventually the rehab began to reap benefits for him as he regained almost 80% of his pre-surgery strength. However, his knee became infected with the same strain of staph infection. More surgeries were performed to rid him of the infection and a second total knee joint was put in. The total surgeries up to this point tallied 18; the longest lasted ten hours. Because of all the other surgeries, the surgeons had to open the knee in the same place each time. Unfortunately, there was not enough tissue to close it, so the surgeons had to remove part of his right calf muscle and place it around his knee to close the wound.
Once again, Lourake had to endure countless hours of painful rehabilitation, still resolved that he would someday return to the cockpit. His therapy would begin first thing in the morning; then, during the mid-day he would go to work at his squadron; then he'd go back to therapy in the late afternoon, Lourake's mission was to do whatever had to do to meet this goal.
"I'm grounded; my position in the squadron is almost all paperwork. Almost every pilot I know hates paperwork, and I'm no different," said Lourake, "however, I feel that I am contributing to the mission, although I really want to get back to flying." Lourake also became the resident computer guru as he learned about computer networking and administration.
After months of rehab, it was evident to him that his knee would never work quite right again. All of the surgeries had left him with massive amounts of scar tissue that prevented the knee from bending more than 50 degrees." God bless all the therapists and medical techs at Malcolm Grow Physical Therapy department. They tried their best to get my leg back in shape." He was faced with the unfathomable decision of possible amputation if he ever wanted to fly again.
During the unsuccessful convalescent period, he read a Washington Post article about an Alexandria, Va. Policeman who lost his leg in the line of duty and returned to full status after just seven months of rehab.
"I made contact with him, and we went out to dinner to discuss the good and bad side of recovering from his operation. Those talks really helped me in making a decision. We still talk a couple of times a month," said Lourake.
So, after careful consideration and consultation with many specialists for almost a year, he walked into the hospital fully aware that he would use crutches to walk out.
The operation was a success, and Lourake now realized that he would have to prove himself like never before. He received his new prosthetic leg and began his physical therapy once again at the Malcolm Grow PT clinic.
"My goal is to be in a simulator no later than February 2003, I think that's a realistic goal," said Lourake.
However, Lourake knew that his new leg had some drawbacks, so, in order to achieve his goal, he recently received a more sophisticated prosthesis called the C-Leg made by the Otto Bock Company. An internal computer controls the knee's function. Numerous sensors throughout the leg enable it to speed up or slow down and adjust accordingly with his walking pace, unlike the standard knee mechanisms used for years by most above-the-knee amputees.
"I feel more confident, like I can do pretty much anything I did before the accident," said Lourake.
Elliot Weintrob, a certified prosthetist who fitted Lourake with the new leg, was impressed by Lourake's quick learning curve with it. "Lourake's amazing," said Weintrob. He basically taught himself to walk in three hours. It takes most people months to accomplish that feat. I've been fitting people with artificial limbs for 10 years, and he's the first person ever to do this."
Lourake is not the first amputee to attempt flying while on active duty in the military. The first amputee Sir Douglas Bader became one of Britain's highest decorated aces. Through the years, there have been a handful of amputees, including current Air Force pilot Juan Alvarez now stationed in Naples, Italy. Alvarez is a special operations pilot who had his leg amputated in a helicopter crash. "He has paved the way for me, and has filled me in on what I am going to have to go through to get back on flying status," said Lourake. "He and I are a lot alike. If he can do it, so can I."
Lourake was also quick to mention the support that he received from everyone. "The important point I want to make is how well the Air Force and all the leadership around me has stepped up and supported me," he said. "I know that I couldn't have come this far without the support of my squadron, the wing, and the people at Malcolm Grow Medical Center. The support system within the military is an amazing thing; everyone always rallies around to help. That is one thing you usually don't get being in the civilian world."
As Lourake's time grows near, he is currently working with a new therapist. "He's really far ahead of most people. He's mastered walking and navigating around quickly. We are in the midst of getting him ready for advanced things like running," said Capt. Cory Middel, 89th Surgical Operations Squadron. "It usually takes six months after the operation. I've been with him a little over a month, and he's really ready to run and return to sports right now. We're just waiting for his scar tissue to toughen up."
"I realize that I have a long way to go, but I'm determined to fly again," concluded Lourake.
If you received last summer's issue of our newsletter then you must have read the amazing story of Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, USAF. Or you might have read the story earlier this year in The Washington Post. Lourake, a pilot with the 99th Airlift Squadron was one of the pilots of Air Force Two, responsible for transporting the Vice-President, members of Congress, and other officials. An accident left him with a leg that prevented him from qualifying for flight status. After multiple surgeries and several years of therapy, he elected an above-knee amputation in order to have a chance at regaining flight status. At OPC, Elliot Weintrob fit Lt. Col. Lourake with the new "C-Leg", a computer-controlled knee able to perform as no previous prosthetic knee. After more than a year of intensive rehabilitation, Lourake went through the same rigorous qualifying flight tests for flight school that all candidates for Air Force Two pilot status must pass and was medically cleared for flight status.
He has now regained flight status and is once again a pilot for Air Force Two. Congratulations Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake. Your multi-year battle to overcome terrific obstacles is one for the books. And Congratulations, too, to the United States Air Force for having the courage to place its first above-the-knee amputee jet pilot in the cockpit.