'It's just wonderful': Amputee kids get running prostheses at Sandy event
Yessena Lozano wiped away tears as she watched her daughter, Jennifer, run for the first time in three years.
Jennifer, 14, had to have her left leg amputated below the knee because of arteriovenous malformations in her leg. She has been using a knee scooter to get around for the past three years.
But on Saturday, Jennifer received a recreational prosthetic at an event for Running is a Right, a program that outfits kids with amputated limbs with free recreational prosthetics that allow them to run, ski, lift weights and more. Jennifer grinned as she kicked a soccer ball, tried out an obstacle course and raced with other kids.
"(Jennifer) wanted to be a volleyball player. Now, with this, she might be able to do it," Lozano said. "To see her getting that confidence again, it's just wonderful. I'm just really grateful."
Meanwhile, Kenneth and Krystal Nimer watched as their daughter Kallie, 7, did a cartwheel using her new recreational prosthetic.
"Cartwheeling is her natural way of walking," Krystal Nimer laughed.
Kallie lost her right leg in a lawnmower accident at age 2 and has gone through eight prosthetics in the past five years. The Nimers came from southern Idaho for the event.
"She's super active, so we're just giving her as many opportunities as we can," Kenneth Nimer said.
As Kallie ran to play soccer with other kids, Krystal Nimer commented, "She loves meeting other children. It's so great to give her the opportunity to see she's not the only one that's going through this kind of life-changing thing."
Brook Raasch, founder and director of Running is a Right through the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation, started the program 18 months ago with the goal of outfitting 1,000 amputee children with recreational prosthetics by the LA28 Paralympic Games. The Sandy event, hosted at a D1 Training fitness center at 61 W. 10600 South, was the second program event following the April 29 debut in Beaverton, Oregon.
The program involves a collaboration with Shriner Children's Pediatric Orthotics and Prosthetics Services, or POPS, to help fit each child with the right prosthesis. James Knackstedt, manager of Shriners Children's POPS, said everyday prostheses are covered by insurance but recreational ones are not.
Having worked in prosthetics for 20 years, Raasch said it wouldn't take much to outfit every U.S. child with an amputation with a recreational prosthesis. Running is a Right is funded primarily by private donors, with each prosthesis costing around $2,000.
"This is actually a problem that is well within our ability to address and change," Raasch said as he watched teenage boys race each other with their new prostheses.
He pointed out that running is an essential part of most sports. Emphasizing the name of the program, he added, "I really feel that running is right, and right now, insurance companies don't see it that way, because if they did, they would provide coverage for it."
Lindon, Utah-based shoe company Kizik also contributed to the event through their charity organization, Kizik Cares, which supports local communities. Kizik Cares gave a pair of their hands-free shoes to each amputee child in attendance.
Ari Mason, Kizik public relations director, pointed out that while Kiziks weren't specifically designed for people with disabilities, the shoe is especially useful for giving amputees more independence.
"It's not a clunky orthotic," she said. "It gives them independence and they've just got to wear normal shoes. They don't have to stand out and feel self conscious about their footwear."
