ORIGINAL POST (EDIT BELOW)

Hi my name is Kevin and as you can see from that front photo, I do not have a left foot.

In the summer of 2021, I was involved in a car accident that left the bones in my left ankle crushed and the nerves in my lower leg shredded.

I spent months in a wheelchair and could barely walk. Worst of all, I was in severe shooting pain almost constantly. I spent two years having a litany of surgeries to try and repair the damage But it soon became apparent that I would never regain the function in my left ankle that I previously had. I could walk for a couple minutes but I'm a skier, I'm a raft guide, I'm a hiker. This new and much lower level of function was a huge blow to who I was a person.

In March 2023, I had run through my surgical options. There were two left in front of me. The first was to accept this lower quality of life and lot of pain. No more raft guiding and no more skiing. The second was much less conventional and not one that a lot of people would even contemplate, much less choose: amputate the foot in favor of a prosthetic one. Modern prosthetics are a medical miracle and after seeing people run marathons and win gold medals with them, it started to feel like the only realistic way to get my life back.

After talking to a lot of people who have gone through something similar and some world class physicians, I made the decision to have a below the knee amputation on my left leg.

It was a bold decision and it took some time to heal. But after three months, I got my first prosthetic and I absolutely took off. It was immediately apparent that I had made the right decision. I was in less pain. I was more active. I could hike. I could run. The sky was the limit.

Just recently I got my first K4 foot, a Filhauer AllPro XTS AllPro (pictured below).

It has changed my life. Even in the last three weeks, I can do so much more. I've finally been able to start running (albeit in a limited capacity) It's going to be what I'm running the race on.

However, while I can use it for running, my Filhauer is still primarily a walking foot and not designed for running specifically. Running blades unfortunately are not deemed medically necessary by insurance companies and are not covered in any capacity.

So as much I would like to think that you can't put a price on getting your life back, there unfortunately is. And it's high. I'm lucky enough to have health insurance but even then, it doesn't cover 100%. Even with good coverage like I have for my walking feet, I'm still on the hook for quite a bit. Forget about a genuine running blade like the Levitate F1 below I was hoping for.

That's why I'm here: to ask for your help to raise money for the cost of my legs - both what I still owe for my walking foot and for my running blades in the future.

To raise support, demonstrate just what prosthesis has given back to me already, and to show you exactly where your donations are going my friends and I will be running the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day 10k on March 16th.

So please, if you are able, donate. Or if not, sharing this post would go along way too. Even just leaving some kind words if that's all you can. Anything at all helps. I've put the link to my GoFundMe below.

Thank you!

EDIT:

I had a suspicion that I was surrounded by a wonderful and loving community but now I'm dead certain of it.

In barely over 24 hours, we not only met, but SURPASSED my fundraising goals. I'm absolutely dumbfounded at the outpouring of support from loved ones, friends and strangers and I'm truly grateful for all the donations, shares, and kind words that you all left me.

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

I do have a couple announcements:

Going forwards, I'm going to leave the fundraiser open for donations until the race on March 16th. Further donations would be welcome for two reasons:

Firstly, prosthesis can sometimes have some unexpected and high costs like my leg breaking from overuse or if I need a new socket because the shape of my stump changed.

But more importantly, I've decided to take this amazing fundraising energy of all you wonderful people and focus it on an equally worthy cause. Any further funds raised or any money that goes unused will go to a non-profit that is near to my heart and whose staff I personally know, Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports. This is a foundation that does adventure sports and outdoor accessibility for people of every ability level. They do some amazing work and if you want to donate to a good cause, they're one of the best!

I'm also excited to announce that all donations will be receiving a sticker with this logo and a thank you card in the mail. Any donation of $100 or over will be receiving that and one of the T-shirts pictured as well.

So please still, donate if you are able, leave some kind words, but most importantly, share this post!