A young woman who lost her leg to cancer is raising money to buy a state of the art prosthetic which will allow her to run, skate and walk her dog.
Jade Tyler, 27, who lives in Hove and manages the Lucy and Yak clothing store in the North Laine, chose to have her left leg amputated below the knee in 2019 after years of chronic pain, infections and fractures.
However, although she is now pain and medication free, she is struggling with the heavy and cumbersome prosthetics available on the NHS.
Jade said: “I did a year of trying other prosthetics on the NHS, but they didn’t work out.
“I looked at medical loans or a bank loan, but the interest rates just weren’t reachable for me.
“The reaction to the fundraiser has been amazing – my work has been really supportive and sharing about it on social media
“What I’m looking forward to most is just the concept of getting out and walking my dog. And when I was young, I always wanted to rollerblade and then my health conditions came in.
“Now, getting a pair of rollerblades, that’s the dream.”
Jade was diagnosed when she was just 14 before with a form of bone cancer, Ewings Sarcoma. After chemotherapy, part of the tibia was removed and her leg was held together with metal plating.
After that she put up with a decade of hospital trips, painkillers and other treatments before the final straw came when she broke her leg again, just from walking on it, and decided amputation was the best way forward.
She’s now raising money for a lightweight prosthetic from a private clinic, which cost up to £9,000 every five years.
Her target is £20,000, and so far she has raised just over half of that. To donate, click here.
