Chris Cantara - Leg Amputation

Hello friends and family, near and far. Meet my uncle, Chris Cantara aka “Buddy”. When Buddy was an adolescent, he developed what is known as Charcot Marie Tooth, also known as “CMT”. This disease effects the peripheral nerves that control the muscles and causes symptoms such as structural foot deformities, poor balance, difficulty with tasks involving manual dexterity (zipping up a jacket, holding a pencil), loss of feeling or numbness among other symptoms. This disease is a genetic one. As a young girl, I have memories of my grandfather trying to grip a pencil with a fisted hand and not being able to open his fingers properly to pick it up. I have memories of my grandfather wearing “special shoes” and walking with a walker. These are all normal traits of a person diagnosed with CMT that unfortunately, my uncle has had to live with as well.

Since Buddy was diagnosed with CMT, he has had numerous surgeries on his feet and legs starting at the age of 16 years old. Over the years Buddy has developed numerous infections in his feet that were extremely painful and never seemed to heal. He would limp, or simply just stay seated to avoid the pain. He was never able to run properly due to foot deformity and pain. He has lived a limited life, but a happy one.

For anybody that knows my uncle Buddy personally, they know he is the most positive person. He is always laughing, joking, and making the best out of every situation. He has a heart of gold. He is the kind of person that would drive from Connecticut to New Jersey for a family holiday party and drive 3 hours back home on the same day to let out his dogs. He is the kind of person that always asks how other people are doing and puts others first before his own needs. He is the kind of person that is genuinely always seeing the brightness in a dark day.

On October 22nd, 2020, Buddy underwent the ultimate surgery to get his leg amputated below the knee. This will impact his life forever. For some, it would be devastating to not be able to go swimming, or even walk on the sand on the beach. However, in speaking with my uncle after the surgery he was already laughing and cracking self-deprecating jokes about the difficulties of going to the bathroom using the scooter.

 To my friends and family, please consider donating to help Buddy get through these tough financial and emotional times. Buddy was laid off from his IT support job several years ago, and has been making ends meet by driving a paper route and working as a local handyman. Now due to the leg amputation, Buddy will be out of work for quite some time. Him and his wife, Dawn, are still paying off his last surgery from March 2020 that was $3,000 out of pocket. On top of this, they will need to pay the out of pocket costs for the leg amputation, home care/nurses, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and eventually a prosthetic leg. I know times are extremely tough right now for all families, but any small contribution, even $10, will help Buddy and his family get through these tough times. I greatly thank you all for taking the time to read this all the way through. Your support means the world to me.