The Hearts of Camp No Limits

When Emma McGraw was only 5 years old, she was in a lawnmower accident and lost her foot. While this was a completely unforeseen event, Emma has turned this tragedy to an amazing path of helping others and being an inspiration. Emma contributes towards helping the amputee/disabled community by mentoring kids at Camp No Limits, and showing up for others who have been through something similar. She’s been involved with Mt. Washington Hospital, where she recovered from her accident, mentoring others and going on trips. All of these experiences have allowed her to create a community, which has given her a higher purpose in her life. Emma has also donated old prosthetics to help those in third world countries who don’t have access to them. One girl in Haiti was so excited to get Emma’s prosthetic parts that she mailed back a handmade gift to say thank you!

Emma became involved heavily with Camp No Limits, and started going with her family soon after her accident and recovery. The plan was to just visit Camp for one day to see what it was all about, but after that first day, they came back the very next morning! Emma’s mom, Jen, says, “Camp is just a healthy environment for everyone. It reminded me that it wasn’t the end for Emma.” It sure wasn’t!

Emma has a walking, running and swimming leg that she uses consistently in her everyday life. She even uses these tools to play volleyball and softball through her school district. She never lets her differences hold her back- that’s for sure! She says she plays just the same as everyone else, and she even got to play on the Varsity team with her older sister! Molly, Emma’s sister, also attends Camp with her. She states that Camp has helped her understand more about Emma’s prosthetics. She was young and didn’t really know what was going on, so the sibling groups at Camp have helped her cope, having met other siblings in similar family situations.

Emma is 14 years old, but she’s already thinking into the future. There are numerous fields that she could go into, but she thinks the medical field would be a good fit because of her own experience with her accident. She’s already studying anatomy books, using suture kits and getting good grades in her Science classes! Emma plans to continue working with the limb difference community and become a rising mentor. We’re here for you Emma- thank you for being here for us!

Post written by Bella Tucker