A.C. Flora student to host 2nd annual fundraiser for fellow amputees
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — In May 2021, 15-year-old Kaden Bagley was boating on Lake Murray with his family when a tubing accident changed his life.
After hitting a large wave, Bagley lost grip of the tube, and as the boat circled around, he got sucked under the boat.
Now 17-years-old, Bagley recalls that day saying, “The whole of the boat hit right about at where my knees were. And so I went under the center of the boat. The propeller hit both my legs, took my right one, and then my left one. I fractured it at the knee and just below.”
Kaden’s Mom Elizabeth says she pulled Kaden back onto the boat, and then used tubing rope as tourniquets.
“I was just praying. Praying to God. Save my baby,” Elizabeth Bagley says.
Doctors had to amputate part of Kaden’s right leg before he underwent months of physical therapy.
He recalls the advice another amputee gave to him on his path to recovery.
“One thing he said that stuck with me was that you can’t blame your bad days on your leg, because everyone has bad days. And you might have an excuse for it, but that’s not the reason why,” says Bagley.
According to the Bagleys, insurance only pays for one prosthetic. An organization called the Jordan Thomas Foundation helps cover the cost of prostheses for children and young adults. Bagley says the foundation helped him get back to doing all the things he loves — like skiing, lacrosse, and playing basketball.
To return the favor and raise money to help other young amputees, Kaden will be holding his 2nd annual fundraiser called the “5-Kaden Run/Walk” on Saturday, April 29th. The race will begin in front of the Strictly Running store on Devine Street.
According to Bagley the first “5-Kaden Run/Walk” raised over $112,000.
“You’re not gonna feel like you’re stuck like this forever. You will be able to get up and run and jump. Any sport that you previously did you will be able to do. You’re not limited by this, it’s just a setback,” says Bagley to other young amputees who are just starting out on their road to recovery.
To view more on Kaden’s story, click here.
