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WATER RATES, 4 | HIGHER EDUCATION, 31 | BACK TO SCHOOL, 39

Fast forwardPara-athlete Brett Sloanis more active than everp. 30

AUGUST 2013 | lifepublications.com

LISA

BRI

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A s a dermatologist, Dr. BrettSloan uses a lot of sunscreen.After all, as a tri-athlete, he

spends a lot of time outside trainingand participating in three-sportevents that include biking, runningand swimming.

In addition to the sunscreen, hepacks his bike, running shoes andswim gear and takes along twospare legs – a blade for running anda prosthesis with a special anklecomponent for cycling.

Sloan was in a biking accident in2001 while deployed to Greece withthe U.S. Air Force.

“I didn’t lose the leg right away,”he said. “It took 20 surgeries, infec-tions, it was a long, drawn-outprocess.”

The day came 10 years after theaccident when the decision wasmade to amputate his right legbelow the knee.

Three months after his surgery,and after extensive therapy, he wasback on his mountain bike. He soon

added swimming and began tothink that, since he was doing wellin those sports, he should add onemore, so he took up running, too.

He prefers swimming.“You prefer what you are better

at,” he said.The decision to have surgery was

not an easy one, but in hindsight,he wishes he had had it done muchsooner.

“The leg was just dragging medown,” he said. “To not have it wasliberating, in a way.”

Sloan struggled with balance andstrength issues and had to adjust tonot only feeling comfortable with aprosthetic limb, but learning how todrive with his left foot.

“Everything is just different,” hesaid.

While Sloan never consideredhimself an athlete, he grew up play-ing tennis and enjoyed swimming.He was also a member of the crewteam at the University of Alabama.

Born in Germany as a member of

a military family, he graduated fromthe U.S. Naval Academy and theUniversity of Alabama. He attendedmedical school at the UniformedServices University in Bethesda, Md.

He spent 12 years in the Air Forceas a flight surgeon and four years inthe reserves. At one time, he wasstationed in Italy and later deployedto Greece. He said he joined in part“to see the world,” and served from1990 to 2006.

These days, Sloan serves as anassistant professor of dermatologyat the University of ConnecticutSchool of Medicine in Farmingtonand is the attending dermatologistat the Connecticut VA HealthcareSystem in Newington. He is also anassistant clinic professor of derma-tology at Yale University School ofMedicine.

“When a physician goes througha major medical condition, theybecome more empathetic. I neverthought about what it was like tolive with a disability. I was taking

care of people,” he said.“It’s also motivated me to take

care of myself. I know how fragilethe body is. I’m stronger now than Iwas before.”

Last summer, Sloan did a fewteam relay events. Once he was theswimmer; another time he did therunning. This past winter, theWheeler YMCA in Plainville, wherehe is a member, hosted some indoortriathlons.

Although he admitted thatswimming and biking can be bor-ing, he is grateful that with histraining, he can do something dif-ferent every day, and that helpskeep his interest.

“I can’t imagine going back tojust swimming,” he said.

He recently ran the Iron Horse 5Kin Simsbury, and this summer Sloanhad a number of events planned,including the Summer SolsticeSprint, Aquaphor New York City

30 SIMSBURY LIFE | August 2013

PEOPLE

Fast forwardAfter losing a leg, para-athleteBrett Sloan is more active thanever, and intends to stay that wayby Alicia B. Smith

Dr. Brett Sloan has a specially equipped leg that enables him to ride a bike during histri-athlete events.

SLOAN continued on 35

August 2013 | SIMSBURY LIFE 35

Triathlon, Niantic Bay Triathlon,Dave Parcells Madison Triathlonand Lobsterman Triathlon.

Dr. Doug Albreski, a podiatristand surgeon at UConn HealthCenter, is a friend and colleaguewho has known Sloan for sevenyears.

He said that being extremelyphysically active after an

amputation – participating intriathlons, for example – “is defi-nitely not the norm.”

“I think the key is that in thepast, most of the people we’d seewho would lose a leg had multiplecomorbidities [medical conditionsor disease processes]. But today,we’re seeing an increase in younger,healthy people who suffer second-ary injuries as a result of accidents,unforeseen incidents or war,”

Albreski said.“The Boston Marathon bombings

are an example of that. There werequite a number of young peoplethere who lost a limb [as a result ofthe attack], but who were otherwisehealthy prior to that. I think thecombination of medical technologyand younger people being affectedmeans you’re seeing more activityin people with prosthetics.”

He said in the past, with

amputations, “you’d see more peo-ple who’d spent their whole lifesmoking and had poor circulation.You’re not going to see those peoplerunning marathons.”

While several Boston Marathonvictims said they definitely plan torun again, it’s not something thatcomes easily to most. Instead, ittakes determination, dedication andgrit.

When it comes to learning to be

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SLOAN from 30

active again after losing a leg, “theredefinitely is a learning curve,”Albreski said. “Brett would falldown all the time when he startedtrying to run with his prosthetic leg,but he kept at it. He was very activebefore he lost his leg so that defi-nitely helped.”

Another contributing factor wasSloan’s can-do attitude. “Brett is avery upbeat person, both personallyand professionally. He remainedthis way through the challenges oflosing his leg and maintained it dur-ing rehabilitation,” Albreski said.

“We would discuss his rehabilita-tion and prosthesis both as a profes-sional exchange and a personal one.Over the years, I learned more abouthis goals and saw how well headapted to this challenge.”

Sloan credits much of hisprogress to the help and support hereceived from his therapists, all ofwhom helped him adjust to using

an artificial limb.“They really taught me how to

walk,” he said. “Now I don’t care. Iwear shorts.”

He has three prosthetics: “aneveryday one” he wears most of thetime, and two specially made for hisrunning and biking. He laughsabout when he was first introducedto the “Cheetah,” or running blade.It took some getting used to.

During a triathlon, participantscompete in running, biking andswimming events. While otherspeel off their wet suits, then get ontheir bikes or take off running,Sloan has the challenge of gettinghimself out of the water and havingto affix one of his legs for the nextevent.

“I’m a pretty fast swimmer,” hesaid, admitting that it can be frustrating that he loses timeadjusting his leg while other participants are immediately off to

the next event.For para-triathlon events, he said,

athletes are allowed to have a handler, someone to help themmake the transition between thedifferent prosthetic legs.

A divorced dad of three daughters, he has lived in town forthe past six years and enjoys getting out on the roads in WestSimsbury.

“I live in one of the best communities in the country,” hesaid, referring to the town’s effortsto support biking. He referenced thebicycle lanes and the drivers whoaccommodate cyclists by givingthem plenty of room.

He wants other people with disabilities to know that if they areinterested in being active, there isplenty of support available.

He recently attended a camp atthe Challenged AthletesFoundation, established in 1997 to

provide financial aid and equipment for disabled athletes.

Organizations such as AchillesInternational, which offers supportand training for disabled athletes,and the Wounded Warrior Project,which helps veterans, have sponsored Sloan for his events,along with Team Red, White & Blue,another organization that workswith veterans by providing physicaland social activities.

In a blog post on the latter team’swebsite, Sloan wrote that “physicaland emotional rehabilitationthrough exercise has definitelyworked in my favor, and the idea ofutilizing communities to promotethis mission to our veterans sounded like something I wanted tobe a part of.”

Sloan has been preparing to participate in the West PointTriathlon as a member of Team Red,White & Blue in August. SL

36 SIMSBURY LIFE | August 2013

PEOPLE

Brett Sloan trains on local roads and said West Simsbury is a favorite running spot of his.Photo by Lisa Brisson

When he is not running, riding or swimming, Dr. Sloan works as a dermatologist at UConnHealth Center in Farmington and at the VA hospital in Newington.