A Midlands student lost his leg in an accident. Now he’s raising money for kids like him

When Kaden Bagley was 15, he didn’t know why he believed in God. A boating accident was a come-to-Jesus moment, he says.

Bagley now uses the accident to help children with challenges similar to his.

It was the day before Mother’s Day in 2021 when Bagley and his family went boating and tubing. Bagley had been out on the water for a while, sharing a tube with his stepsister and two friends. The boat circled and the tube hit a big wave. Bagley let go, fell off and was floating in the water.

“I was beat tired from holding on so long,” Bagley said.

But the boaters didn’t see him and headed straight for him. The boat drove over his legs.

When they realized what happened, the boaters stopped. His mom grabbed him by his life jacket and lifted him onto the deck, where they used boat ropes as tourniquets on his legs. It was clear that both of his legs were badly damaged, but it was apparent part of his right leg couldn’t be saved.

Still, Bagley was calm. He was even cracking jokes. His quiet assurance kept his mom, Elizabeth, calm too.

“His leg was obliterated, gone, I knew he was going to lose it,” she said. “His attitude the whole time was unlike anybody I’ve known in that kind of situation.”

At the shoreline, the group was met by an ambulance, and Bagley was driven to a field. The only nearby level one trauma center is Prisma Health Richland Hospital in downtown Columbia, so Bagley was airlifted there.

Within 15 minutes he was at the hospital, surrounded by nearly a dozen doctors “doing crazy things,” Bagley said.

When Bagley came out of anesthesia, his left leg was in a full-length cast. He couldn’t bend it. His right leg was amputated at the knee, with a bandage covering the wound.

“There was no muscle decay or anything, so I was able to just lift it (his right leg) up and move it around,” Bagley said with a smile. “I thought it was funny.”

Recovery meant physical therapy. A lot of it.

“I not only had to learn how to use crutches with one leg, and a walker and a wheelchair, I also had to learn how to get myself out of bed and get dressed,” Bagley said. “That was probably the toughest part, at the beginning, to gain independence again.”

Bagley said he’s stubborn, and his physical therapist knew it.

“She made me do things I probably never would’ve done,” he said.

His right knee cap was still intact. Bagley said surgeons had placed it below the femur bone as a “shock absorber,” but he was scared to put weight on it. His physical therapist pushed him to do it, so he’d be able to get a prosthetic.

Despite the amputation, Bagley said he does just about everything he wants. He wakeboards, skis, and runs. But sometimes he has to get creative. With a prosthetic, you can’t usually ride a bike, Bagley said, because you can’t pedal. But he found a way by zip-tying his foot to the bike.

“When he puts his mind to something, there’s no stopping him,” Elizabeth said.

And he’s a national wheelchair basketball champion (though he said he got “whooped” the first time he played). He now has colleges recruiting him for the sport.

“Beforehand, I would’ve never been good enough to get college offers” to play sports, Bagley said. It just goes to show when one door closes, another opens.

Bagley, who is now 17 and a junior at A.C. Flora High School, is grateful for the assistance he has received from the Jordan Thomas Foundation, which provides prosthetic devices to children with limb differences. To show his appreciation, he started a 5K event to raise money for the non-profit. On Saturday, the second annual 5-Kaden Run/Walk will be held on Columbia’s Devine Street.

“With how much they’ve given me, I want to give back,” Bagley said.

Different activities and sports require different kinds of prosthetic limbs, from running to climbing to snowboarding. But health insurance often won’t cover the cost. The Jordan Thomas Foundation allows kids to get back to the things they are passionate about.

Insurance companies “say it’s not medically necessary,” said Karen Kaiser, executive director of the foundation. “We argue that a kid’s ability to run and jump and play is absolutely necessary. Limbs aren’t a luxury.”

Last year, the 5K raised more than $112,000 for the foundation. This year, he and his family hope to raise even more. Elizabeth said the overhead costs have been covered, which means every registration fee, every donation, goes straight to the foundation.

The Bagley’s 5K is now being used as a model for other fundraisers, Kaiser said.

“We love the Bagleys,” Kaiser said. “(Kaden) is a great mentor to younger kiddos. They look up to him.”

The 5K will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. at Strictly Running, rain or shine. Those who want to participate in the race can register online or in-person. You’ll see Bagley at the finish line, cheering the runners on. He said the encouragement people find in his story is why he believes in God.

“This is God’s plan for me,” Bagley said.