BEDFORD — Bedford resident and young amputee Josh Beecher, 25, is making strides figuratively and literally, now that he has received a special running blade from The Born to Run Foundation.
After being born with a club foot, Beecher spent much of his life in pain. At age 22 he made the decision to have his leg amputated and was 23 when he went in for surgery.
“(The surgery has) completely changed my life,” Beecher said. “It was the hardest decision I will ever have to make by far, but I have not had pain since I woke up from the surgery, which is just amazing.”
“Pain wears you down. When I woke up from surgery pain-free, the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. It opened so many doors,” Beecher added.
He is now able to do simple things that many people often take for granted, such as working on his feet all day or even being able to do yard work. On top of this, he’s ready to live an active lifestyle, and recently applied for a running blade from The Born to Run Foundation.
Less than a week ago, Beecher was presented the blade from The Born to Run Foundation Founder Noelle Lambert, 22, of Manchester. In July of 2016, Lambert was driving a rental moped on Martha’s Vineyard and collided with a dump truck. She lost her left leg in the traumatic accident.
Lambert established The Born to Run Foundation with the promise of helping young amputees “obtain special prosthetics that they are unable to afford so that they will be able to live a more fulfilling life.”
Beecher is the fourth person to receive a blade, which comes from Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics, Inc. of Manchester.
“It’s hard to describe what an impact this has made,” Beecher said of the running blade.
“I’ve always wanted to be active,” Beecher said. “I grew up playing baseball but it got to the point where I wasn’t able to do that. The running blade lets me be active again.”
Beecher was able to give the blade a test run last week on the track at Manchester High School West.
“When I ran, it felt better than any other time I ran in my life. It’s going to allow me to run 5Ks and get more involved in sports. It’s definitely a game changer,” Beecher said.
He originally became familiar with The Born to Run Foundation after researching about amputation, a year prior to his surgery.
“Quite frankly it kind of amazed me that someone as young as (Lambert) was able to take the circumstances that were given to her and run with it and pass it on to other people,” Beecher said. “This is the fourth blade that has been donated by the foundation. This has directly impacted family and friends of four of us who have received a limb and are able to be more involved in activities.”
Now, Beecher wants to give back. He said after his surgery, he reflected on the questions, “Why?” and “What’s the purpose of this?”
But, he noted, this wasn’t because he felt bad for himself.
“The conclusion I came to is maybe the reason I was in pain is that it’s going to help someone else. Having come to that conclusion and now being a recipient of a gift that is something I would normally never be able to repay, it makes me want to pass it on and help others.”
Original Source here: https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/local-news/2019/07/24/bedford-amputee-receives-prosthetic/