With War Amps Canada shipping out “key tags” to northern Ontario through an annual fundraiser, it reminds one local mother of the important work the group does for amputees.
Emma Langdon-Hodgins of North Bay was born with an amputated left arm. The mother of three says her prosthetic arms were paid for entirely by War Amps while she was growing up.
“Kids grow really fast so I was having to get new limbs every year,” Langdon-Hodgins recalled.
Originally from Guelph, Langdon-Hodgins grew up involved with the War Amps programs where she met fellow amputees who taught her essential life skills such as driving.
“I’m still friends with people I met all those years ago. It was where I could find people like me,” she explained.
Years later, Langdon-Hodgins still receives some support from War Amps, helping cover the cost of a “recreational” prosthetic arm that costs $15,000.
“They allow me to go canoeing with my family and play baseball with my family,” she said.
If she needs a new prosthetic, Langdon-Hodgins says it can be a long ordeal.
“Living in northern Ontario, we do have to travel to get those limbs. It takes time,” she said, adding War Amps assists her in the process.
In order to pay for the services Langdon-Hodgins and hundreds of other Canadian amputees receive, the War Amps runs a Key Tag Service. The service sees the War Amps give out tags that can be attached to people’s keychains that, if lost, can be put in a Canada Post mailbox and will be shipped back to the owner.
Included with the tag is a donation form for War Amps, which James Jordan, Communications Officer, says leads to most of the organization’s yearly donations.
“It’s pretty much everything,” he said. “It’s our only sort of campaign that we have for raising money.”
In 2018, over $15.2 million was donated to the War Amps, which Jordan estimates a large majority came from the Key Tag Services.
Knowing the importance of the Key Tag Service for War Amps, Langdon-Hodgins is grateful for the support it garners every year.
“It’s amazing to think that people’s donations have been able to allow me to have the full and complete life I enjoy today,” she said.
