Give Kelly a leg up!

Kelly Kennedy is organizing this fundraiser.

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I'm raising funds to help pay for my ExoSym device!

The ExoSym is a custom prosthetic-orthotic that I wear over my left leg. I wear it because I have severe post-traumatic arthritis in my left ankle. I had a bad compound fracture in 2017, and as a result most of the cartilage in my ankle is gone. Unfortunately, my chronic ankle pain and stiffness is not fixable with surgery.

Despite intensive physical therapy, my ankle problems have progressively worsened over the years. At first, I worked through the pain and lived my life. I avoided some activities (like running or jumping), but continued to do the things I really loved, like weightlifting and scuba diving.

Then my ankle got noticeably worse. Weightlifting and diving became very difficult. My podiatrist started administering steroid shots into the joint capsule, which kept the issues at bay for a couple of years. But starting last October, the steroid shots stopped working. I tried to let my ankle recover, but the pain and stiffness didn't go away. I was having trouble with basic daily activities like standing up to cook or wash dishes. It became so debilitating that I was starting to consider amputation. Instead, my podiatrist told me about the ExoSym. I got fitted and waited for my device to be built. In February, I got my ExoSym and started learning to use it.

Without my ExoSym, I have trouble walking across the room. But with my ExoSym, I can live my life. I can walk, hike, lift barbell, train in kung fu, ride my bicycle long distances, and scuba dive (including carrying my own dive gear -- something that's very important to me!). I was also able to start a full-time job working on my feet in healthcare, which has been a long-term dream that didn't feel attainable before I had this device. I'm even re-learning how to jump and run!

Learning how to use my ExoSym wasn't instantaneous. It has taken a lot of hard work that I'm very proud of, and a lot of help from others, which I'm very grateful for.

In short: getting the ExoSym has been life-changing! But it's also been expensive. Here are some of the expenses I've been struggling with:

The copay was a little over $900. I was lucky that my insurance covered approximately $9000 toward the device, but I still had to pay the rest.
Insurance also doesn't cover shoes. I can't wear any of the shoes I owned before I had the device. Only very specific styles of shoes are deep enough and wide enough to fit the device. And because most stores won't sell split sizes, and I need a bigger and wider size on the device side, I typically end up having to buy two pairs of shoes. Then, because the device makes my left side taller, I have to pay a cobbler to alter the sole on the right shoe (to avoid uneven hip heights which can cause difficulty in walking and back problems). All in all, what might be a $200 pair of running shoes can end up costing me $600 -- and they wear out twice as fast due to the device being hard on shoes! So far, I only have two pairs of shoes that I can wear with my ExoSym: one I wear everywhere (work, inside my apartment, biking, hiking, etc), and one for kung fu (since we train indoors and clean shoes are required). I'd love to get a set of hiking boots, an extra pair of sneakers for work, and maybe some sandals, or even dress shoes. But it's all very expensive!
I have to drive to Gig Harbor to see my prosthetist, which means I have to rent a car. Only one person in the world makes this device, and it's amazing that he's here in the greater Seattle area! But with all the trips to Gig Harbor for fittings, ExoSym-focused physical therapy, and adjustments, car rental expenses have really added up.
Everything needs to be altered to fit the device, not just shoes. Most of my pants need to be altered or replaced. Even my drysuit needs to be altered and customized, which is daunting! With the help of a friend, some creative carpooling, and free accommodations, I was able to try out the ExoSym diving in warm water in Utah and it performed much better than I expected. I'd love to start diving locally again, but I need to be able to get the custom drysuit boots/leg installed first.
I took two months of disability leave to adapt to the ExoSym and learn how to use it at its fullest capacity. Even with paid disability leave, my income was cut almost in half for those two months, which has been a significant financial challenge.

I would be so thankful if my community can help me defray some of the expenses I've encountered in my ExoSym journey.

I cannot imagine what my life would be like without this device. I am so profoundly grateful and excited that my ExoSym has given me my mobility back!

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