Hawaiian Premiere of “1500 Miles” at the US ISPO Pacific Rim Conference in Maui

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ELIZABETH MANSFIELD, BOARD CHAIR, US ISPO
ADMIN@USISPO.ORG, 833-487-4776 DIRECT

US ISPO to Bring Uplifting Ultratriathlon Documentary “1500 MILES” to MAUI

Join this special one-­time screening of a film that celebrates amputee athletic triumph.

LAHAINA, HAWAII, JANUARY 6, 2020 – US ISPO will be hosting the Hawaiian premiere of the award winning documentary “1500 MILES” at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa on January 21, 2020 at 1:30pm in the Maui Ballroom.

“1500 MILES” chronicles the accomplishments of 27-year-old amputee/ultratriathlete Nicole Ver Kuilen, in which she and a support team of three additional women completed a two-month, 1500-mile triathlon (called “Forrest Stump”) from Northern Washington to Southern California. The ultratriathlon event was undertaken to call attention to the discrimination against aspiring amputee athletes who are denied insurance coverage of appropriate prosthetic technology, allegedly to cut costs.

View the Trailer for the film at:  https://vimeo.com/236037173

• Nicole Ver Kuilen is an amputee athlete who challenges herself to swim, bike, and run from Seattle to San Diego. She has the endurance and passion to make it to the end. The biggest question is: will her prosthesis survive the journey?

Immediately following the premiere, Nicole Ver Kuilen and Natalie Harold of Forrest Stump (http://www.forreststump.org/) will join an international panel of rehabilitation medicine experts to discuss the issue of access to care for the limb loss population.

The film is being screened in association with US ISPO (https://www.usispo.org/), the United States Member Nation Society of ISPO (https://www.ispoint.org/page/About). ISPO is a global multidisciplinary organization, of over 75 member nation societies, that promotes access to appropriate and equitable rehabilitation, mobility devices, and other assistive technology to improve the quality of life for people with reduced mobility.

Tickets can be obtained at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hawaiian-premiere-of-award-winning-documentary-1500-miles-tickets-88580842685?ref=estw

“I just want to run. I want to be free to move. I want to be an athlete. I want to be like everyone else.” said Nicole Ver Kuilen.  “I hope one day our society can become more compassionate and empathetic to understand the struggles people without privilege face, and use that knowledge to guide decision making. You don’t need to walk a mile in my shoes to understand; you need to open your heart to being more compassionate.”

Download images and video clips at:  http://www.forreststump.org/1500-miles