10/5/2023 0 Comments Jenn im feet![]() They gain mentorship and connection to others who have endured a similar situation or have a similar lifestyle.Īndrews says that the gratitude she has received from recipients is tremendous. In addition to prosthetics, Move For Jenn has created a community for sarcoma survivors. In 2022, Move For Jenn awarded 16 prosthetics to applicants, and gave $35,000 for sarcoma research. “We do anything from helping parents who just want to chase their kids outside, to Paralympic athletes,” Andrews says. Move For Jenn has helped applicants of all ages and with various goals. It was about me at first, but it's not about me anymore,” Andrews says. It's about the people we help, the trials we fund and the people we mentor. ![]() “My favorite part of Move For Jenn is that none of it's about me. Pictured: Cortney Robateau receives a running blade. Since the organization was started in 2018, it has grown each year, by raising more funds for Sarcoma research helping more individuals get the grants to access the prosthetics they deserve to get and stay active. They also raise funds for sarcoma research, advocacy and awareness in an effort to find a cure for sarcoma and improve treatment options for sarcoma patients. The mission of the Move For Jenn Foundation is to offer grants in the form of activewear prosthetics to those who have suffered the loss of a limb to sarcoma or other affiliated diseases. Then her foundation was formed and financed an activewear prosthetic for her first applicant by December of 2018. She walked without crutches within eight weeks of her surgery, then started to run and completed a 5K race within six months of her amputation. Pictured: Jenn Andrews runs with a running blade prosthetic.ĭespite the difficulties she faced in 2018, Andrews hit the ground running and achieved her goals by the end of the year. Insurance wants you to improve your health so they don't have to pay for other things, but they don't want to pay for the tools to allow you the mobility to do those activities.” “There are so many families that are in debt because of medical traumas, so the idea of having this added expense after surviving this tumultuous situation…I couldn't understand. “I know how much having cancer costs financially because my family dealt with it,” she says. What’s more, due to wear and tear, they need to be tweaked or replaced every three to five years.Īndrews says she left the appointment angry, thinking of all the people who couldn’t be active after an amputation because of the cost. She was told that while it’s important for amputees to be physically active, insurance companies won’t cover the cost of activewear prosthetics, which can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. After all, her doctor hoped that she would run again. When it came time for Andrews to be fitted for her walking prosthetic, she asked about running blades, too. However, running and other physical activities, like swimming, require different types of prosthetics built for that type of motion and impact. After that, she aimed to start running, and to complete a 5K run. First, she wanted to walk with her prosthetic without crutches. The Cost of Prosthetics: Anger turned to actionĪfter the amputation of her foot, Andrews had big goals that she wanted to pursue before the year was over. And he said, ‘walk again? I hope you run.’ And that triggered something in me like, oh, that's possible.” “I remember in my initial appointments, I was crying and talking to my doctor and I said, ‘am I ever going to walk again?’ I didn't know anyone with a prosthetic. What she didn’t expect was that the post would go viral and become a movement. The idea was for them to be active in honor of Andrews and everybody who wants to move, but can’t because of a loss of mobility. She asked viewers to get out and move however they liked on the date of her surgery. ![]() ![]() On March 7, 2018, five days before the surgery to amputate her foot, Jenn hosted a Facebook Live for her friends and family. “So when I was diagnosed the second time with my recurrence, that really made me realize that something like this can happen to anyone.” “Even though I had experienced sickness and death with other people, when it's something that affects you personally, it changes your perspective on life, " Andrews says. As a runner, Andrews says the idea of losing her foot, and her ease of mobility, was gut wrenching. Andrews was faced with a terrifying decision: amputate her foot to eliminate the cancer from her body completely, or risk that it would spread and threaten her life.
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