Help Skyler for Limb Loss Awareness Month
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
As you are probably aware my husband was in a motorcycle accident in September of 2020 and he lost his lower left leg. Though Skyler has made enormous strides to get his life back to normal, I still watch him struggle everyday with not being as “normal” as he used to be.
Every morning I watch him adjust his basic prosthesis to his work shoes, and then I watch him do it again when he puts on different shoes to go to the gym, and then again we he puts on another pair of shoes to go out. I watch him get frustrated when we’re out walking with our dogs because he no longer has an ankle that bends and he has a hard time getting up or downhill. I watch him hop around our house on one leg because sometimes it is “easier” for him to just live without a leg than trying to fit his current prosthesis on his swollen stump. I also watched him go from working long hours in the field at his job to becoming an office guy due to his handicap. He took all of these trials and tribulations on the chin, and remained positive and thankful for his second chance.
I will never pretend like we aren’t blessed and privileged. We are. We had an outpouring amount of support when the accident initially happened and we have great insurance. Those two factors alone made this entire situation a little less of a financial burden. We also both also employed, and that in todays economy is a blessing in itself.
But, today Skyler was given the opportunity to try on a new leg with air tightening suspension to factor in swelling of the stump, a robotic ankle, the ability to adjust to whatever shoes you plan to wear for the day by simply taking a photo on the app, and so much more! Watching his face light up when he was talking about the new leg was heartwarming as a wife, but that light slowly left his face when he told me that he didn’t move forward with the next steps to get the leg because of the cost. The medical world is truly sad and unfortunately they do not deem this new leg as medically necessary, so there are a lot of out of pocket fees associated with getting one.
Maybe I’m bias, but if there is anyone in the world that deserves to feel happiness and normalcy, it is Skyler. Yeah, he currently has a prosthesis so I guess a new one isn’t “necessary” medically speaking, but I think anything that will improve his quality of life is a necessity. I watched this man come from laying in 7 day old bloody sheets refusing help in the hospital, to going back to to work like nothing ever happened. While that is all amazing, I’d like to see my husband excited to get out of bed in the morning and put on his leg, not feel like it is an uncomfortable burden. My birthday is this month and April is limb loss awareness month, so I’m asking you to please consider donating to Skyler’s fund for getting a new leg in honor of the cause.
We are eternally grateful for your support and love while we have navigated this new normal of ours.
Xo,
The Shaffer’s
As you are probably aware my husband was in a motorcycle accident in September of 2020 and he lost his lower left leg. Though Skyler has made enormous strides to get his life back to normal, I still watch him struggle everyday with not being as “normal” as he used to be.
Every morning I watch him adjust his basic prosthesis to his work shoes, and then I watch him do it again when he puts on different shoes to go to the gym, and then again we he puts on another pair of shoes to go out. I watch him get frustrated when we’re out walking with our dogs because he no longer has an ankle that bends and he has a hard time getting up or downhill. I watch him hop around our house on one leg because sometimes it is “easier” for him to just live without a leg than trying to fit his current prosthesis on his swollen stump. I also watched him go from working long hours in the field at his job to becoming an office guy due to his handicap. He took all of these trials and tribulations on the chin, and remained positive and thankful for his second chance.
I will never pretend like we aren’t blessed and privileged. We are. We had an outpouring amount of support when the accident initially happened and we have great insurance. Those two factors alone made this entire situation a little less of a financial burden. We also both also employed, and that in todays economy is a blessing in itself.
But, today Skyler was given the opportunity to try on a new leg with air tightening suspension to factor in swelling of the stump, a robotic ankle, the ability to adjust to whatever shoes you plan to wear for the day by simply taking a photo on the app, and so much more! Watching his face light up when he was talking about the new leg was heartwarming as a wife, but that light slowly left his face when he told me that he didn’t move forward with the next steps to get the leg because of the cost. The medical world is truly sad and unfortunately they do not deem this new leg as medically necessary, so there are a lot of out of pocket fees associated with getting one.
Maybe I’m bias, but if there is anyone in the world that deserves to feel happiness and normalcy, it is Skyler. Yeah, he currently has a prosthesis so I guess a new one isn’t “necessary” medically speaking, but I think anything that will improve his quality of life is a necessity. I watched this man come from laying in 7 day old bloody sheets refusing help in the hospital, to going back to to work like nothing ever happened. While that is all amazing, I’d like to see my husband excited to get out of bed in the morning and put on his leg, not feel like it is an uncomfortable burden. My birthday is this month and April is limb loss awareness month, so I’m asking you to please consider donating to Skyler’s fund for getting a new leg in honor of the cause.
We are eternally grateful for your support and love while we have navigated this new normal of ours.
Xo,
The Shaffer’s
Organizer
Skyler Shaffer
Organizer
Uniontown, PA