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Salmon Arm woman runs to raise funds for friend’s new prosthetic leg

33-kilometre Run for Chelaine to help athlete cover medical costs from latest surgery
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A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to collect donations ahead of Kristy Handel’s 33-kilometre run for Chelaine McInroy (pictured) to cover costs for a new prosthetic leg after her June 12, 2021, surgery. (GoFundMe)

A Salmon Arm woman will embark on a solo 33-kilometre run June 26 to raise funds to cover medical expenses for an Armstrong woman and friend.

Chelaine McInroy underwent surgery on June 12 to remove infected bone and tissue linked to a 2016 amputation, but now the prosthetic she relies on will no longer fit.

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“One of the first things Chelaine said to me after the surgery was not that she was in pain or felt unwell, but how would she pay for the resized prosthetics?” organizer Kristy Handel wrote on the GoFundMe webpage.

McInroy trains horses and specializes in working with ones which are abused, abandoned and neglected. Without properly fitted prosthetics, continuing work would be nearly impossible.

“I’ve known Chelaine for only a couple of months, but in that time, she has become one of my most cherished friends,” said long-distance runner Handel. “She has the hugest heart.”

Handel set up the GoFundMe campaign to collect donations and sponsorships ahead of her 33-km run for Chelaine.

“I chose 33 km because it’s a challenge — as any long-distance runner knows. No matter how much you train, anything above 25K is a huge test of one’s mental and physical strength,” she wrote.

“Thirty-three K for $3,000; 33K to impact a life. I know it’s hard times for so many people right now — this is what I can do for Chelaine.”

To donate or learn more, visit 33K Run For Chelaine on gofundme.com.

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