A local Sparwood teen celebrated the 40th anniversary of the War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) program. Mackenzie Sedrovic, along with his mother Nicole Adams, travelled to Edmonton last month for a three-day seminar for the occasion.
“You catch up with old friends and you learn a lot because there is a lot of new stuff that comes out there that you might not realize,” said Adams in relation to prosthetic limb technology.
Adams said the annual seminars are a great experience for children, as it allows them to relate to people who are face similar issues without prejudice. “These kids get together – no kids are staring or anything like that. They’re in the pool, there’s leg and arms laying all over the deck. It’s a fun weekend,” she said.
The seminar provides peer support, counseling and information to children with amputations and their families. Two-year-old Xander Ricketts of Sparwood also attended the seminar.
Adams and Sedrovic have been apart of the War Amps since Sedrovic’s birth, as he was had have his legs amputated very young.
“At two weeks old, when we were diagnosed with Mack having to have amputations, the War Amps were right there,” said Adams. “He was a couple of months old and we were into a seminar. We hadn’t even had the amputation yet but we were meeting people so we knew what to expect.”
Adams is proud to be apart of the War Amps program, as it has given specific support to her family, which can be hard to find in smaller communities.
“There’s just not a lot of activity that other amputees are involved in, being that it’s a small town,” she said, adding that support is close by, either by phone or in Calgary.
Adams credits the work of the War Amps for providing services and championing the cause, making it easier for people with amputations to live today. “It’s because of them that these kids have the lives that they have now. It’s all of their freedoms.”