Apryl Brown's Fundraiser:
Team NextStep Pasadena Triathlon
THE STORY:
WHY DONATE?
I am raising money for me and my gym. My gym is called Next Step. They cater to people with all kinds of disabilities. Next Step Fitness is the reason I am doing the triathalon on March 23, 2013 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. There are so many disabled individuals who desire to stay fit but do not have the resources or a gym that caters to their specific needs. The money will help pay monthly memberships for individuals who can't afford the gym fees and it also helps me to continue my rehabilitation as well.
My Story
Teased by her family and friends about her flat buttocks, Apryl Michelle Brown had always been insecure about her backside. Once she got enough money, she told herself, she'd buy herself a better one."I didn't know if I wanted to look like Janet Jackson or J. Lo," the Los Angeles cosmetologist, 46, says in an exclusive interview featured in the November issue of ESSENCE magazine. "I justwanted a new, bigger booty."
Apryl Michelle Brown
Tragically, her quest for curves cost her all her limbs and almost her life. In 2004, Brown says she paid a "pumper," an unlicensed person, to inject industrial-grade silicone into her buttocks. Brown can't recall how much the woman actually charged — maybe $500, maybe $1,000 — but over time,she says, the area became intensely irritatedand painful, and the skin blackened. By early 2006 she says the silicone had hardened, causing severe pain and infection, ultimately requiring her to have lifesaving amputation of her limbs last year.
Now adjusting to her new life with prosthetics, Brown shares her story — and her warning for others tempted to check out"pumping parties" — with writer Amy Elisa Keith in ESSENCE. "I was left here for a purpose," she says. "I have to get the word out so that nobody else makes this choice."
Help Make a Difference and support me as I take on this huge challenge!
About NextStep:
All persons living with paralysis and other physical disabilities deserve the hope and opportunity to live long and healthy lives. Yet today most of these individuals are deprived of the resources they desperately need for survival because there are no options available to them or they cannot afford them. NextStep, http://www.nextstepfitness.org, provides the opportunity for health and recovery through affordable and progressive community fitness, health, and wellness facilities.
NextStep is a nationwide movement that aims to revolutionize the quality of healthcare for the physically challenged community. NextStep has paved the way with the first community facility in the U.S. to offer Locomotor and activity based training at its state of the art facility in Los Angeles and continues its vision to expand across the United States. The organization’s other initiatives are participation in cutting edge research, education, and awareness programs that are focused on enhancing the lives of the 6 million people in the U.S. living with paralysis.
NextStep is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. NextStep is a member of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network (NRN) Community Fitness and Wellness (CFW) Program.
