As we head into this season of giving, we are setting aside a time to highlight some of the individuals and organizations we have been blessed to serve this year.
Amputee Blade Runners helps lower limb different athletes of all ages reimagine what is possible in sports and in life. Most of the people we work with have overcome trauma, cancer, infection, and congenital conditions.
Over the next 10 days we will be telling the stories of several athletes we have served in the past year. The first $5,000 in donations will be matched, with proceeds going to further the mission of ABR.
Trauma Survivors Make Running Legs for Other Trauma Survivors
Amputee Blade Runners does not just focus on the prosthetic foot or even the residual limb. Building community is vital to the success of our athletes, and we work hard to connect our athletes and volunteers. This concept was epitomized one week this summer when Beau Meier from California, and Temesgen Fissehaye from Virginia, came to work with ABR co-founder Ryan Fann to get into their first ABR legs. Julian Roach, ABR volunteer, traveled from #Nashville to fabricate the sockets. These four men all underwent an amputation as a result of trauma, and all have not let that limit their goals in life. Temesgen and Beau are both husbands and fathers who are active in their communities who wanted to do more. ABR is honored to welcome these men into the family.
This Cat Can Dance
Tessa Puma doesn’t just have a name like a cat - she moves like one too. She is nimble, quick, and light on her feet. When she was 6 years old, a strep infection entered her bloodstream, and she was given a 1 in 5 chance of surviving. However, with her “nine-lives” like agility and persistence, Tessa fought through the above knee amputation, the skin grafts, and the recovery to regain her spot on her competitive dance team. She worked hard but needed a socket and foot that would hold up to the demands she placed on them. Tessa traveled from Ohio to ABR’s Nashville location this summer to work with Aaron Fitzsimmons and AJ Kosinski and has loved her new leg.
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