The 7th Annual Raymond James 5k Fun Run/2k Walk, sponsored by John Hancock, Putnam Investments, Principal Funds, Columbia, Delaware Investments, and Janus, has selected Amputee Blade Runners as the featured charity for the RJFS ELEVATE Conference. Each year the Fun Run is growing in participation, becoming a staple at this event. We hope this year will be the largest yet!!
Amputee Blade Runners has greatly impacted over 250 amputees and their communities. Daryl Farler, a bilateral below the knee amputee, would be living a completely different life without Amputee Blade Runners. Because of the free running prosthetics Amputee Blade Runners provided, Daryl has completed several triathlons, a Half IronMan, several half marathons, and multiple Boston Marathons. A single piece of equipment can drastically change someone’s life.
EVERY dollar you donate goes directly to providing a running prosthetic, which can vary in price from $6,000-$8,000 for a below the knee, like Daryl, or up to $15,000 for an above the knee amputee. Amputee Blade Runners is able to provide a running prosthetic to each team member at NO cost, while keeping our cost to $3,500.
At the last Elevate conference, Raymond James raised $21,000. This year, the goal for the week is to raise at least $39,600, which would transform the lives of 12 amputees and their families. Please consider participating in the Fun Run and supporting one of our own.
Amputee Blade Runners will be onsite at the conference May 15th and 16th during registration hours and during the Fun Run. If you see any of our Blade Runners walking around, please feel free to talk to them about their legs and how running has changed their life.
Amputees Helped Because of Raymond James
Ayla
Ayla first came to ABR 2 years ago as a newly minted 8 year old. Like many children ABR serves, Ayla was born with a congenital difference in Asia and was adopted by a family in the US. She was referred to ABR by her former prosthetist and current ABR board member, Josh Ahlstrom. Ayla hit the ground running (literally) in her new leg and hasn’t looked back. Over the most recent running seasons, Ayla won seven gold medals at the Junior Nationals, breaking the record in her age and disability category for the 100, the 400, and the 800 meters. She transitioned quickly to cross country season this fall, setting multiple PRs and competing against not just those with 2 feet, but athletes 2 grades ahead of her.
Tommy
Nothing came easily for Tommy. He was born with a growth restriction, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and severe liver problems. His first year of life was an unending torrent of medical appointments and procedures. He celebrated his first birthday by getting a liver a transplant and made a rapid recovery. As the years rolled on he also learned of aortic and and lung conditions that made life, especially an active life, more difficult.
At the encouragement of a coach, Tommy began running cross country in middle school and found that running brought him a sense of accomplishment. He was bothered by his right ankle and after another battery of tests and procedures, was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma. Cancer. In the summer of 2018 Tommy's leg was amputated below the knee. Through a combination of coaches, medical professionals, and church family, Tommy connected with Amputee Blade Runners and one year after losing his leg, he was back to running cross country.
Aspen
Aspen has always had a passion for gymnastics. She loves the competition, the finesse, and the exhiliration it offers. When she was 4 years old, she was involved in a tragic lawnmower accident which led to the amputation of her right foot. Her mom worried that Aspen's gymnastics goals would no longer be possible. Aspen kept training hard but always felt like her prosthetic foot was holding her back. Last summer Aspen received 2 different types of legs from ABR. Once in her new leg, she immediately performed an aerial (a handsfree somersault) for the first time and hasn't looked back!
Ryan is the co-founder of ABR, a certifed prosthetist (CP) and has a bachelors in Business Administration. Ryan’s journey into prosthetics started when he was 3 years old. Ryan was ran over while on his big wheel riding in his neighborhood resulting in losing his left leg below the knee. Ryan went on to play sports throughout middle school and high school. Ryan was a starting linebacker for his high school when playing in a TN all star game a prosthetic company offered to make him a running leg and Ryan then went on to run track at Tennessee State University (TSU) with the able bodied athletes the first to do so in TN. Ryan then ran with the US Paralympic track program earning multiple Gold and Bronze medals in the Paralympics.
Daryl Farler
Daryl joined the ABR team in January of 2011. In 2006 he was scratched by his girlfriend's dog in the corner of his left eye and contracted a virus that caused septic shock. This resulted in Daryl losing both legs below the knee, multiple fingers, and sight in one eye. Daryl began running to improve his health but soon got his competitive spirit back in gear. Daryl has completed numerous half marathons, a half Ironman, and is a repeat Endeavor Games Sprint Triathlon Champion for his classification. Daryl was also chosen by John Hancock to compete in the 120th and 121st Boston Marathon. Daryl is proof that a single gift can change a person.
About Amputee Blade Runners:
Amputee Blade Runners is a 501(c)3 organization, based in Nashville, TN, that helps lower limb different athletes of all ages reimagine what is possible in sports and in life. To do this ABR provides FREE running & sports prosthetic to amputees. Running prosthetics are considered "not medically necessary" and are NOT covered by insurance. Amputee Blade Runners helps amputees across the country keep an active lifestyle by providing equipment, education and empowerment.
'We believe that giving someone one piece of equipment can have the power to change their life moving forward, just like it did for me!' -Ryan Fann
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