Leg up for Krista
Donation protected
Running 26.2 miles is no easy feat, and usually you need two feet to do it -- at least that’s what people believe. We don’t think twice about putting one foot in front of the other; about running to catch a cab, chasing kids around the house, or racing to a finish line. Life is different for my best friend Krista Selnau, who lost her left leg to Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, when she was 10 years old.
Each year, about 400 children and teens younger than 20 years old are diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, and in 15-20% of those patients, it has already spread to vital organs by the time of diagnosis.Rather than mourning the loss of her leg at such a young age, Krista celebrated it and her newfound freedom. She has taken that outlook and applied it in all aspects of her life, now working as an attorney to advance social justice causes as well as learning to rock climb, ski, and more.
In honor of the 20th Anniversary of her being cancer free - as well as the 20th Anniversary of our friendship - I aim to raise $18,000 to purchase Krista a prosthetic running leg. Why so much, you ask? Insurance refuses to cover the cost of the leg because they deem it medically unnecessary, but with this leg she will be able to run again for the first time in two decades. Below is her personal story. I hope you all join me on this journey while I #RunForKrista and get a #LegUpForKrista so she will, one day, be able to help inspire children, teenagers, and young adults with disabilities everywhere and show them that they can do it, too.
Thank you!
Annmarie Mercieri
Krista’s Story
"In late August 1996 when I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer: osteosarcoma. The tumor formed below my left knee, leaving a walnut-sized lump that was extremely painful when touched. Long afternoons filled with friends and riding my bike around the neighborhood were replaced with weeks spent in the hospital. I endured a year of chemotherapy, the loss of my long blonde hair, the insertion of two semi-permanent IV lines, a limb salvage surgery, an e-coli infection that landed me in the pediatric ICU, a near-heart transplant, the loss of several new friends battling cancer alongside me, and ultimately the amputation of my left leg above the knee. All before I turned 11 years old.
People often tell me that it must have been difficult losing a leg. But the truth is, it wasn’t. My limb salvage surgery had not been successful. There was a major complication, followed by many minor complications, and I had been left with what felt like a half-dead leg: I had no feeling and no movement from the knee down. It never improved.
My orthopedic surgeon presented my family and I with two scenarios: continue life with my badly damaged leg and more surgeries or amputate. I was shown a picture of a woman running with a prosthetic leg - a cool blade where her foot had been - and I was told that anything was possible. I thought about it. I had been in a wheelchair for over a year. I had tried – unsuccessfully – to walk again with the help of a brace. I was often in pain and uncomfortable. I knew what I wanted: I wanted to go to school and be with my friends; I wanted to leave behind the hospital; I wanted to play and ride my bike and run through my backyard. I wanted to live. The decision was easy and the decision was mine: I would amputate.
Almost twenty years have passed since my amputation. I went to law school and learned to use the law to advance social justice causes. I fought on behalf of children with cancer and homeless veterans. I volunteered for more than a decade at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a camp in Ashford, Connecticut for children with serious and life-threatening illness, a very special place that supported me as a child. I taught myself to climb, kayak and ski. I lived fully every day.
Now, I have a new goal. I want to learn to run again with my own cool blade. I want to run to raise money for childhood cancer research to fund a cure because anything is possible."
Each year, about 400 children and teens younger than 20 years old are diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, and in 15-20% of those patients, it has already spread to vital organs by the time of diagnosis.Rather than mourning the loss of her leg at such a young age, Krista celebrated it and her newfound freedom. She has taken that outlook and applied it in all aspects of her life, now working as an attorney to advance social justice causes as well as learning to rock climb, ski, and more.
In honor of the 20th Anniversary of her being cancer free - as well as the 20th Anniversary of our friendship - I aim to raise $18,000 to purchase Krista a prosthetic running leg. Why so much, you ask? Insurance refuses to cover the cost of the leg because they deem it medically unnecessary, but with this leg she will be able to run again for the first time in two decades. Below is her personal story. I hope you all join me on this journey while I #RunForKrista and get a #LegUpForKrista so she will, one day, be able to help inspire children, teenagers, and young adults with disabilities everywhere and show them that they can do it, too.
Thank you!
Annmarie Mercieri
Krista’s Story
"In late August 1996 when I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer: osteosarcoma. The tumor formed below my left knee, leaving a walnut-sized lump that was extremely painful when touched. Long afternoons filled with friends and riding my bike around the neighborhood were replaced with weeks spent in the hospital. I endured a year of chemotherapy, the loss of my long blonde hair, the insertion of two semi-permanent IV lines, a limb salvage surgery, an e-coli infection that landed me in the pediatric ICU, a near-heart transplant, the loss of several new friends battling cancer alongside me, and ultimately the amputation of my left leg above the knee. All before I turned 11 years old.
People often tell me that it must have been difficult losing a leg. But the truth is, it wasn’t. My limb salvage surgery had not been successful. There was a major complication, followed by many minor complications, and I had been left with what felt like a half-dead leg: I had no feeling and no movement from the knee down. It never improved.
My orthopedic surgeon presented my family and I with two scenarios: continue life with my badly damaged leg and more surgeries or amputate. I was shown a picture of a woman running with a prosthetic leg - a cool blade where her foot had been - and I was told that anything was possible. I thought about it. I had been in a wheelchair for over a year. I had tried – unsuccessfully – to walk again with the help of a brace. I was often in pain and uncomfortable. I knew what I wanted: I wanted to go to school and be with my friends; I wanted to leave behind the hospital; I wanted to play and ride my bike and run through my backyard. I wanted to live. The decision was easy and the decision was mine: I would amputate.
Almost twenty years have passed since my amputation. I went to law school and learned to use the law to advance social justice causes. I fought on behalf of children with cancer and homeless veterans. I volunteered for more than a decade at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a camp in Ashford, Connecticut for children with serious and life-threatening illness, a very special place that supported me as a child. I taught myself to climb, kayak and ski. I lived fully every day.
Now, I have a new goal. I want to learn to run again with my own cool blade. I want to run to raise money for childhood cancer research to fund a cure because anything is possible."
Organizer and beneficiary
Annmarie Mercieri
Organizer
Hoboken, NJ
Krista Selnau
Beneficiary
