Jake Kahoot is a normal 10-year-old kid. He goes to school, swims, participates in all the same activities as his classmates and hangs around with friends. The only difference is, he is missing his right foot and part of his lower leg.
Jake, who is featured in the brochure for the War Amps’ 2015 key tag campaign, was born missing bones in his foot and it had to be amputated.
The Grade 4 St. Paul’s student got hooked up with War Amps, though, and receives a new prosthetic annually from the organization through its Child Amputee (CHAMP) program.
That allows him to get along pretty much as if he never lost his foot.
“Rock climbing I’m not so good at, but everything else I’m really good at,” he said. “[War Amps] helped me a lot and if they would have never helped me, I don’t know, but my parents told me that they had two decisions, either leave me how I am and just sit there at home and do nothing or do the surgery so I can be normal and go play.”
Five years ago, Jake attended a seminar in Winnipeg and became a CHAMP ambassador. In that role he embodies the War Amps founding philosophy of “amputees helping amputees.” And, although his own situation is the result of a birth defect, his message is one of prevention.
“A lot of commercials and that for the War Amps say, ‘play safe,’ because that’s what happens when you’re not playing safe, you can lose a leg or an arm.”
Jake’s good fortune and all the good work done by War Amps is funded in part by their key tag and address label campaigns. Last week, the tags started going out to subscribers. For those not familiar, the tags are coded with a unique number that allows the finder of a lost set of keys to drop them in any mailbox for return to the owner.
Tags can be ordered any time at www.waramps.ca or by calling toll-free 800-250-3030.
