There are so many nonprofits doing good work on behalf of amputees that it seems impossible to keep track of them all. But we’re going to try anyway. Every week we’ll highlight one organization or person that’s out there trying to make life better for amputees. This week’s Worthy Cause: Forrest Stump.
Name: Forrest Stump
Founder: An amputee since age 10 (cancer), Nicole Ver Kuilen became an activist in her mid-20s when she biked, ran, and swam 1,500 miles from Seattle to San Diego. The feat was captured on film, and it brought awareness to the difficulties faced by amputees and other disabled Americans in gaining access to the basic components of a healthy lifestyle.
What they do: Promote equal rights to exercise for individuals with disabilities.
Who they serve: Amputees and all other people with disabilities who face barriers to physical activity—and, therefore, to good health—because of unresponsive insurers, costly equipment, inaccessible recreational spaces, and other obstacles.
In Nicole’s own words: “After 16 years of being an amputee, I’d had enough. I quit my job and took on a 1,500-mile triathlon to show the realities most amputees face. . . . [M]illions of amputees are burdened by the enormous cost of a prosthesis, ranging from $5,000-$100,000. What you see in the media is not the reality for most amputees. We live in an age where we have the technology to eliminate this disability! But the power to grant access is in the hands of our politicians and insurance executives, not our care providers.”
Get involved: On October 3, Forrest Stump is leading a 2,758-mile virtual run from Seattle to Washington, D.C., to deliver a petition to Congress titled “The Rights of Americans With Disabilities to Exercise.” You can support them by signing the petition and/or by registering to run a segment of the race.
Make a donation: https://forrest-stump.square.site/
Connect with Forrest Stump: On Facebook and Instagram.