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100 amputees expected for 5K Walk-Run-Roll Family Education Day

The inaugural run will take place at Kentwood's Bowen Station Park on Saturday, April 28.

CASCADE, Mich. - Twenty-three years ago, Nikki Stoner was participating in the opening day of rifle season for deer hunting in Michigan. She sustained a gunshot wound in her right leg.

"I was a mother of two very young children at the time, and my entire world changed in an instant," said Stoner, who works as a Community Care Coordinator for prosthetic provider Hanger Clinic in Grand Rapids. "When I lost my leg, advancements for amputees were developing, but not at the rate they are today. So I had to learn a lot on my own."

Since losing her leg, Nikki has always been passionate and supporting when it comes to limb loss. She's always been willing to do whatever she could to make a difference in the amputee community.

Kyle Thering, who happens to be Stoner's brother-in-law, is also an amputee.

"I was coming home from school and got run over by a pickup truck," said Thering, 30, recalling the day his life changed forever. "I remember being air-lifted to the hospital and having to endure several reconstructive surgeries."

On March 21, 2017, fifteen years after his accident, Thering says he'd experienced enough chronic pain. He elected to have his leg amputated, after being encouraged by Nikki's mobility with a prosthetic limb and his own desire to be able to play with his kids.

"I wish I had decided 16 years ago to have my leg amputated," said Thering. "I'm now able to move again and am more mobile than I've been."

Thering will be able to test his mobility, along with over 100 other amputees, in the inaugural '5K Walk-Run-Roll Family Education Day' which is taking place in Kentwood's Bowen Station Park on Saturday, April 28.

Since April is Limb Loss Awareness Month, Stoner thought there was no better time to have this event.

"I am a true believer in that everything happens for a reason," said Stoner, who is organizing the event, which is being put on by Hanger Clinic. "It took me 20 years to find out what the reason was why I lost my leg.

"Now I know why; it's to help everybody out there get through the struggles that went through. I don't want any amputee to be left behind."

When participants aren't walking, running or rolling, they can indulge in an educational component and learn about amputation related to diabetes, vascular compromise, foot and ankle disease, orthopedic trauma, prosthetics and orthotics.

Registration is $25 person, through Friday, April 27. It'll bump up to $30 if participants choose to register on race day.

All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Kentwood Parks & Recreation Adaptive Sports.

"Weather permitting, I have training," said Thering, who was fitted recently with a running blade for his prosthetic leg. "This will be more of a walk than a run for me, but I'm hoping I'll be able to just keep going from here."

To register, click here, or call (616) 656-5270. For questions about the event, contact Nikki Stoner: nstoner@hanger.com

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