1500 Miles

"This 1,500 mile journey was the biggest athletic feat I had ever attempted. I faced the same challenges any able-bodied athlete would – fatigue, pain, even fear. But doing it on a prosthesis built only for walking meant I was putting my health and mobility at risk. I had to ask myself: at what point should I give up on my goals to be a better athlete?" – Nicole Ver Kuilen Nicole started this project – known as “Forrest Stump” – as a 1,500 mile journey down the coast to bring awareness to the challenges amputees face. This film is an extension of Forrest Stump’s mission: we will show the limitations of prosthetics and encourage support for a greater standard of care. The only obstacle standing between Nicole and the completion of her 1,500 mile journey is her prosthetic. With the advances being made in prosthetics – this does not need to be the case. While the media highlights vast improvements in prosthetic technology, the “activity-specific” prosthetics are inaccessible to most amputees. Although Nicole has been an athlete her whole life and is categorized as a K4 amputee (the highest activity level), insurance denies requests for anything besides a walking leg and K3 foot.