Manfredi O&P Peer Visitor Program

Certified peer support for amputees and families

You Don’t Have to Go Through This Alone

Facing limb loss—whether expected or unexpected—can feel overwhelming for patients and families alike. Questions, fear, uncertainty, and emotional weight often come long before the physical healing begins.

The Manfredi O&P Peer Visitor Program exists to offer something uniquely powerful - connection with someone who has truly been there.

Our certified peer visitors are amputees themselves—individuals who understand the physical, emotional, and mental realities of limb loss and are trained to support others through this life-changing experience.

What Is a Peer Visitor?

A peer visitor is a trained amputee who provides one-on-one, non-clinical support to individuals facing limb loss and their families.

Peer visitors do not replace medical care.
They complement it—by listening, sharing lived experience, and offering reassurance during moments that can feel isolating or frightening.

Peer visitors may support:

Individuals preparing for an amputation

New amputees in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities

Family members seeking understanding and reassurance

Experienced amputees navigating a new phase of life

Sometimes the most helpful voice is someone who has already walked the road ahead.

Sometimes the most helpful voice is someone who has already walked the road ahead.

Why Peer Support Matters

Even with excellent medical care, limb loss brings challenges that are difficult to explain unless you’ve lived them.

Talking with a certified peer visitor can help:

  • Reduce fear and anxiety before or after surgery

  • Normalize emotional responses to limb loss

  • Provide realistic expectations for recovery and rehabilitation

  • Offer hope through lived experience—not sales or clinical language

  • Help families better understand how to support their loved one

At Manfredi O&P Affiliates, we believe healing happens faster when people feel understood.

The Manfredi connection to limb loss is deeply personal.


In addition to caring for thousands of amputees since opening our doors in 1958, limb loss has touched our own family—inside these walls.

That perspective shapes everything we do.

Our Peer Visitor Program is built on:

  • Compassionate listening, not pressure

  • Honest conversations, not sugar-coated promises

  • Respect for where each individual is—physically and emotionally

  • Long-term support, not one-time interactions

This program reflects the same values that guide our prosthetic care: people first, always.

Our Approach at Manfredi O&P Affiliates

This program supports:

  • New amputees

  • Individuals preparing for amputation

  • Family members and caregivers

  • Experienced amputees seeking connection

  • Patients interested in becoming certified peer visitors

Whether you need support—or want to offer it—there is a place for you here.

Who this program is for

If you or a loved one is facing limb loss—or has recently experienced an amputation—you may request connection with a certified peer visitor through Manfredi O&P Affiliates.

Peer visits may occur:

  • In hospitals

  • In rehabilitation or acute care settings

  • By phone or scheduled conversation, when appropriate

We carefully match each request to ensure comfort, respect, and meaningful connection.

Use the form below to request contact with a peer visitor.

Request a Peer Visitor

Become a Certified Peer Visitor

Many of our patients feel a natural desire to give back—to be the person they wish they had during their own journey.

Maybe someone was there to help you - and you know just how impactful that was for you.

If you are an amputee and feel called to support others, we invite you to consider becoming a Certified Peer Visitor through Manfredi O&P Affiliates.

What’s involved:

  • Completion of the Amputee Coalition Certified Peer Visitor Training

  • Two Virtual instructor-led sessions (totaling 8 hours)

  • No cost to participate

  • Guidance and support from our team throughout the process

  • Certification recognized nationally

Once certified, peer visitors may be eligible to visit hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to support new amputees and families.

This is not about sales.
It’s about service, empathy, and shared experience.

Use the form below to express interest in becoming a peer visitor.

Peer Visitor Program – Get Connected

Whether you’re looking for support from someone who’s been through limb loss, or you’re interested in becoming a certified peer visitor yourself, this form helps us connect the right people in the right way.

We will follow up personally.

Limb loss changes lives—but it does not have to be faced alone.

The Manfredi O&P Peer Visitor Program connects people through shared experience, compassion, and trust—strengthening not only individual outcomes, but the entire amputee community we serve.

A Community Built on Understanding