Amputees don’t need your pity, says FGF

The Feet of Grace Foundation [FGF] has taken to the streets of Lagos in a bid to “get feet for those whose feet have been amputated.” It was its fourth yearly feet of grace walk.The foundation whose vision is “That all may walk again” walked from Marwa Gardens to Maryland to create awareness on improving the quality of life for the amputees and let the world know that they do not need pity but help to make them walk again.

In this year’s campaign, FGF is looking at getting ten feet for those in need. Some are bilateral, meaning they need two feet. One of this year’s beneficiaries is Madam Esther who was a civil servant at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in Abuja, Nigeria. She is 47 years old. She was diagnosed with dry gangrene in May 2016. She subsequently had eight amputations from October 12, 2016 which left her as a bilateral above-the-knee double amputee. She was in the hospital for almost ten months unable to leave after all the surgeries because she was unable to pay her bill. Esther was introduced to the FGF in 2017.

A visit to her in the hospital revealed that she was determined to keep hope alive. She has read and drawn inspiration from Grace in the Storms, a book written by the founder of the foundation. She cannot return to work until she has regained her autonomy. She cannot afford the cost of the double limbs she needs to get back on her feet again.

FGF gave ten feet to 10 persons last year. One of them needs two. The foundation was founded by Dr. Mrs. Irene Titilola Olumese. In April 2013, she had to undergo a surgery to replace her diseased lungs after twenty years of living with chronic respiratory diseases Though the lung’s transplantation went very well, Irene developed complications within 48 hours following the surgery, which required that coma was induced as her organs began to fail. She came out of the coma four weeks later, only to be told that her hands and feet may need to be amputated. This was because she had poor blood circulation during the coma resulting in insufficient flow of blood and oxygen to her extremities. As a result of this, she suffered necrosis in her hands and feet. Her hands recovered miraculously.

On Friday, May 31st, 2013, Irene had another surgery and her two legs were amputated below the knees. At the age of 46 years, she was faced with the challenge of living life as an amputee. Within one year after the amputation and following extensive rehabilitation with the support of her family, friends, doctors and physiotherapists, Irene started living life to the full and the overflowing again.

Eighteen months later, she was able to walk several hundreds of metres FGF was birthed six months after the amputation based on the word of comfort and assurance that God gave to her prior to the opera. The period Irene when was compelled to sit down without being able to stand or walk was relatively short. However, it gave her an insight into the plight of those who are compelled to sit down in a long-term because of the inability to access funds for prosthetic limbs.

Being able to walk again made a huge difference in regaining her autonomy and pursuing her dreams, and this ignited in her the desire to do the same for others. Because of the grace of God that kept Irene through the twenty years of living with a chronic and debilitating disease, she is able to spark the flame of hope in the lives of others. She demonstrates through her testimony that God’s grace is sufficient and that He holds us up through every storm of life, using our trials to build and prepare us for our calling.

She is using her life’s story and experiences to teach people around the world what the Grace of God really means. Her story shows that what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord is using for good. Her prosthetic ‘Feet of Grace’ are literally taking her to minister God’s love and mercy in places that she would otherwise never have been to.