One step closer: Tyler’s dream to run

Like a lot of eleven-year-olds, Tyler Heffner loves Minecraft. Under the watchful eye of his mother, it is pretty much a daily activity. And most people may not even realize his condition.

“We have a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis, the main part of it is that it causes tumors to grow, which is like what you see on me,” said Audrina Heffner, Tyler’s mother.

Each case is different, and for Tyler, it affected his left leg.  

“So, when he was born, it was noticed that his left leg was more curved than normal,” said Heffner.

At three years old, doctors amputated the front part of his foot.

“At seven, he had the below-the-knee amputation, and since then, he has been on the go,” said Heffner.

He has had several prosthetic legs, all with one thing in common: Avenger characters.

Somewhere in between his Marvel comics and playing Minecraft, Tyler found a new passion: marathons. That passion would come with some obvious challenges.

“I brought it up with my husband and my other kids, and he was like, I want to try it. And it was a 5K at Fort Bragg,” said Heffner.

After that, Tyler was hooked and needed more.

“He’s like, 'I want to do the half marathon,' and I’m like, that’s 13 miles, and he’s like. 'I want to try it,'” said Heffner.

“We’re not doing this anymore, we’re just sticking to 5Ks,” said Tyler.

Tyler has participated in several 5Ks and will do the 5K here this weekend. He has to walk the marathons because his prosthetic doesn't allow him to run. And even though he loves it, there is always a lot of pain when they are over. He really needs a blade prosthetic that is made for running, but those are extremely expensive and not covered by insurance.

“Because those are more of a want type of leg, more than a necessity or a need type leg,” said Heffner.

Seeing how much Tyler wants to run marathons, I called my friend Randy Titony, the Executive Director for Limbs for Life, to get some help.

“My leg doesn’t work for running,” said Tyler.

“Well, that seems like an easy fix. How about we just get you a leg for running? So, we’re going to pay for your running leg,” said Titony.

A big thank you to Randy Titony and Limbs for Life, and the hope is that next year’s marathon, Tyler will be able to run in whichever event he chooses.

For more information about Limbs for Life, visit their website www.limbsforlife.org