"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become." - Annabel
Meet our newest grant recipient, Annabel!
You may remember Annabel from our posts earlier this year. In one post, Annabel was playing soccer on crutches and in another she was standing proudly on top of a mountain at the end of a hike.
Annabel was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her left tibia in February of 2022. She endured 10 weeks of grueling chemotherapy and battled sepsis before learning that she would need to have her left leg amputated above the knee. After surgery, she endured another 30 weeks of chemotherapy followed by a year of immunotherapy.
Annabel
In her grant application, Annabel's mom said, "Her treatment is now thankfully over and she is learning to walk on her new prosthesis, but her real dream is to run again, to feel the wind in her hair and the sun on her face as she tries to salvage what’s left of her childhood."
We had a goal to raise $10,000 to help give Annabel, a diversity model and amputee athlete, the gift of movement with a specialized socket, sports knee, liners, and a running blade.
Because of support from amazing people like you, we reached $7,000 of our $10,000 goal in honor of Jenn hitting five years cancer free. Unfortunately, we hit a hurdle when we started to order the necessary supplies for Annabel. Because insurance is handled so differently outside of the United States, and Annabel resides in the UK, the cost of her prosthetic and necessary accessories was exponentially higher.
There was never a question about supporting Annabel, only a matter of how.
Insert the Richard and Mary Morrison Foundation. Founded in 2010, RMMF has gifted over $1.3 million to organizations in their community. Originally located in Long Island, NY, the Morrison family relocated to Charlotte in recent years and have since expanded their giving to our community.
Richard, Rose, and Mary Morrison
In NY, Richard and Mary ran a number of homeless shelters and have always a heart for giving. They knew that they wanted to start a fund that would give their kids and grandkids the opportunity to make a difference long after they were gone.
While RMMF loves to support grassroots non-profit organizations in Long Island and Charlotte, they especially love to give during the holiday season. Since their inception in 2010, they have found ways to support the homeless and underserved in Long Island through the Christmas Magic Foundation, which has given gifts to more than 12,000 children.
Jenn and RMMF connected by chance because not only does Richard and Mary's grandson plays baseball with Ari, Jenn's son, their son-in-law, John, is also Ari's coach. As soon as Jenn and Rose, Richard and Mary's daughter and John's wife connected, Rose knew that she wanted to use RMMF funds to help the Move For Jenn Foundation. Specifically, she knew that she wanted to help give the gift of movement to one of our grant recipients.
When the foundation learned about Annabel, they immediately knew that they wanted to be a part of her journey. Rose surprised us at our annual golf tournament in May with a $10,000 gift - covering the remaining expenses for Annabel!
Richard, Jenn, and John
Annabel's new Ottobock system (thank you to longtime MFJ supporter, Ottobock) is scheduled to arrive in mid-September and we cannot wait to see her on the move! Once she receives her new system, Rose and Annabel look forward to connecting over FaceTime.
Please help us welcome Annabel and the Richard and Mary Morrison Foundation to the Move For Jenn family!
Please also help us thank Rose, Richard, and Mary for their generosity. Because of their big hearts and your big hearts, Annabel will receive the gift of movement.
Thank you to everyone who makes our mission possible! We are eternally grateful.