Help Kellie get new feet!

I am fundraising for my daughter Kellie as she begins the next phase of her journey recovering from her 2019 car accident. I'll let her share her story in her own words:

To my friends, family, and neighbors -

As many of you know, in my final week of high school, I was in a car accident that severely damaged both my feet. Despite my doctor’s best reconstructive efforts, my feet remain incredibly damaged and I continue to suffer from chronic pain and ankle instability due to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

The past three years have been an ongoing search for therapies and solutions to allow me to regain mobility. I have done hours of research and had numerous appointments in hopes of finding a solution. Ultimately, I kept returning to the idea of amputation. At first cutting off my feet was something I just joked about. Amputation was a drastic approach that my family and I had serious reservations about. However, in their present state, these feet prevent me from reaching my full potential. It’s time to let them go so I can move forward with my life.

After exhausting my options with local doctors, I learned about the work of Dr. Carty, the surgeon who pioneered the AMI (agonist-antagonist myoneural interface) amputation, and his colleague, Dr. Herr, a biophysicist and bilateral amputee who runs the prosthetics lab at MIT. Their collaboration is improving the quality of life for new amputees because an AMI amputation maintains muscle pair function for more effective prosthetic use and proprioception (how the brain perceives the body’s position), and eliminates neuroma formation (aka phantom pain).

Through Dr. Herr, I met Dr. Carty via Zoom for an overview of what he does to help people in situations like mine. He invited me to Boston for a full evaluation of my feet and to discuss options that might give me a better quality of life. The outcome of that meeting was a plan to amputate both my feet below the knee so that I can use prosthetics and walk without pain. Essentially, to finally recover from my accident and once again have options for my future!

I am excited that my surgery in Boston is coming up at the end of March. My family and I are eagerly preparing for the trip, my recovery, and getting back on my (new) feet. I get to learn how to walk again! Third time's the charm!

As we prepare, we know there are a lot of expenses ahead of us. The cost of surgery and several weeks of in-patient rehabilitation is completely unknown at this time. We do anticipate the expense of prosthetics, potential modifications to my wheelchair, and a vehicle I can use independently to be approximately $35,000. We are pursuing grants towards any funds I am eligible for, but the expenses ahead are daunting and I need your help.

If you would like to help me get "back on my feet," click the link below. Any amount will help and will be used directly for the cost of surgery, medical equipment, and adaptive transportation. I am so grateful for your support!

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As Kellie said, we are very grateful for any donation! In order to protect Kellie's privacy, we are not broadcasting this fundraiser publicly via social media, but if you know of others who might wish to contribute, we welcome you sharing the gofundme link directly with them.

Thank you!

Adrienne