John Clark

By Josh Schwoebel

Fourth-grader Advocates for State Legislation

 Mars Area Elementary School student John Clark served as a youth advocate for insurance coverage for prosthetics and orthotics during a visit to the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on June 2, where he shared his personal experience and spoke in support of legislative change.

John, who in November 2023 underwent two open-heart surgeries, a heart transplant and a partial leg amputation, joined the Pennsylvania Orthotic & Prosthetic Society, which brought together advocates, patients, families and providers from across the state to speak in support of the So Every BODY Can Move Act. 

This significant piece of legislation is a national initiative on disability rights and healthcare access. It is aimed at ensuring that people with limb loss, limb difference, or mobility impairments can afford and access the prosthetic and orthotic devices they need to be physically active, work, and live independently. 

In addition, John met with state representatives to personally explain why the legislation mattered to him and to others in need of prosthetic and orthotic care. 

Jarrod Clark, John’s father, along with others, movingly shared stories of the struggles, perseverance, and hopes of many families seeking prosthetic and orthotic care to support their loved ones’ health, activity, and independence.

For more information, visit www.palegis.us/senate/co-sponsorship/memo?memoID=48290.