The Day I Got My Blade - A Blog by MFJ Grant Recipient, Annabel Kiki
The following blog was written by our friend and MFJ grant recipient, Annabel Kiki.
On 25th May 2022, two days after my amputation, my mum reached out to Jenn Andrews, having found her story on the internet. Days spent in the hospital had us both desperately searching out happy endings and positive stories and Jenn’s was by far the most inspirational.
A simple email message saying: “I just thought I’d connect with you to see if you have any advice / tips e.t.c. She had her amputation on Monday and is feeling pretty low at the moment,” resulted in the most heart-warming of replies."She had her amputation on Monday and is feeling pretty low at the moment."
Not only would Jenn call me and chat, but she said I could apply for a grant to get a running blade.
Now imagine how motivating that felt for me. I suddenly had one leg, yet already I was being given the chance to run again. It honestly gave me such hope when I needed it the most. My mum, like she always does with people, struck up a friendship with Jenn, and between them and my prosthetics clinic, they managed to organise which blade and socket would work best for me, and how it would actually all come together.
The Move For Jenn Foundation truly is remarkable. Jenn and her supporters made this happen. Even when my grant was bigger than usual – (I have a little leg that only works with DFTS sockets) – Jenn managed to get further funding from the wonderful Richard and Mary Morrison Foundation. Basically Jenn wasn’t going to give up, she was going to make this happen for me, regardless of cost.
And then the day finally came last week. I headed into Dorset Orthopaedic for my fitting:
Safe to say it was one of the best days of my life. I immediately decided to return to my football training that evening, a feat that I was told would take a while to build up to, but I went simply because I couldn’t’ wait… and I did it! I ran, I kicked the ball, I dribbled, I even scored, all on day one!
Every day I put my blade on and run, and every day I am thankful for Jenn and the team at the Move For Jenn Foundation. You were there for me and my mum in our darkest hour and you brought light to our lives when we needed it the most. Thank you will never be enough. But thank you. You’re one of the most inspirational people out there.
To learn more about Annabel's story, visit her personal blog and follow her on Instagram!