Markus

Changing bias!

A thankful hug. Beaming faces. Joy filled voices. Markus escorts the child to the door. He watches with pride as his “little customer” navigates the stairs on the way to the car, supported by mothers’ hand. The next appointment is already waiting. Markus is a prosthetist.

Markus empathises with his users. He takes the time to discuss their goals and wishes. It is important to him that his customers feel comfortable and that they have a personal bond. There are no reservations. He knows about the problems following an amputation. He knows the fears of his users because he has felt them himself. In 2003, he lost his left leg below the knee – he was only 14 then. Markus is an amputee.

My goal: To help others reach theirs!

Tools in hand, Markus kneels in front of his customer. She received a new bionic knee. Today is about fitting it. He carefully attaches the components together and has her test it. “How does that feel for you?” he asks. With a critical glance, he follows her steps. His trained eye is not yet entirely satisfied. A few minutes later, he nods his head in contentment. They are relaxed together. They laugh a lot. The conversations are familiar. Once they are both satisfied, he walks her out. They say their goodbyes. He waves, while she makes her way safely to the taxi.

Markus has a variety of customers. Whether kids, youngsters, or elderly, he is fully committed to them. Restoring their mobility and working together to reach seemingly faraway goals gives him tremendous joy.

Back to the workshop. There are a few prostheses that must be finished. The atmosphere amongst his colleagues is good. They exchange ideas, discuss their cases and learn from each other.

Markus’ hands are grey with plaster. The dust dances through the air. He wants to finish a few things. His workday is packed. This is normal for him. Then, he is done. Finished for today. The next few days he won’t be here. The next few days are competition days.

Holding his sports prosthesis that he just finished working on, he walks to his car. The training centre is buzzing. He joyfully greets the familiar faces on his way to the changing room. His coach is already there, waiting. Then his second workday begins. Markus is a professional athlete.

I can live my dreams

Full concentration. eyes to the ground. Deep breaths. A fiery start. The precise steps echo through the training ground. The takeoff board approaches. Then silence – only briefly. The sheer force of the landing sends the sand spraying in all directions. Critical glance over to his coach, brief review, back to start. “That wasn’t good, I can do better.” Markus is a a perfectionist.

Eyes on the goal, breaking his own World Record, winning gold medals and bringing the topic of inclusion into the public eye. Markus wants to show the world that challenged athletes are worthy of competing against able-bodied athletes.

Just back from a competition and off to the next. The excitement is evident in the stadium once this exceptional athlete steps up. You can feel the anticipation. He begins his sprint, just as in the training. Full concentration. Then he jumps. Closer and closer to his own World Record. He celebrates with the spectators. Markus is a 3x Paralympic Champion.

He is not completely satisfied. His willpower drives him forward. There is more to do, but he draws strength from his job, which he pursues with enthusiasm. “Helping people return to mobility is one of my biggest goals.”

Life Without Limitations means to me: Jumping further!

Even when he was a child, sport was a big part of Markus Rehm’s life. When he was 14, he had to learn to live with the consequences of a tragic accident. He was an avid wakeboarder when he had to have his right leg amputated below-the-knee because of an injury. Shortly after he was on the road to recovery and back to sports. First wakeboarding. In 2005, only two years after his accident, he finished second in the German youth championships.

Later, he developed a passion for athletics. Today, he is the undisputed champion in his class (T64 Long Jump). The list of his achievements continues to grow, as he chases his own world record distance of 8.72m.

Markus is also very active in his private life and needs a prosthesis that can keep up with his busy lifestyle. Whether navigating the confined spaces of the workshop, running back and forth between appointments, or training in the weight room, the Pro-Flex XC Torsion from Össur, meets the challenges of his day-to-day activities. For his sport, he has worked closely with Össur in the development of the latest generation of sports blade for long jump, the Cheetah Xpanse.

Markus is also passionate about the topic of inclusion, both in sports and daily life. His dream is to be allowed to compete alongside able-bodied athletes.