LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Lexie Bader loves getting outdoors, whether it is for a run, snowboarding, or hiking. But this past year has been extremely challenging for the double-amputee as she fights through immense pain caused by her prosthetics.
A snowboarding accident in 2012 left Bader in agonizing pain. Her foot eventually turned purple and felt as if it was "burning on fire constantly." She was ultimately diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare nerve disease that often develops after an injury or trauma to an arm or leg.
"Just caused like chronic pain. And then some days it wouldn't hurt, which is weird, and then other days for no reason, you know, flare up, and it would just be like just terrible pain," Bader said.
There is no cure for CRPS. Bader learned of several studies she could try, but decided in 2019 to amputate her left leg from the knee down.
"The doctors were like, 'Well, you can heel walk to the bathroom.' And I'm like, 'Dude, I'm like 22 at the time. I'm not trying to heel walk. I'm trying to snowboard,'" Bader said.
After some time, the same chronic pain returned, this time in her right foot. Bader went through another surgery and became a double amputee.
Bader was featured as a Denver7 Everyday Hero in 2021 for redefining the modeling world even walking in Denver's Fashion Week just nine months after doctors had amputated her right leg.
From strutting to snowboarding, Bader did not let her disability get in the way of doing what she loved until now.
Last year, while living in Colorado Springs, Bader received a new pair of prosthetics, which were covered by insurance. After a few months, she started to feel pain in her prosthetics.
"So I kind of made a mistake on my end. I wore those new legs for probably two months, and they started just giving me instability. There was more pain and sores," said Bader. "As a truck driver [in] my old job, I was doing a lot of hopping up and out of my trailer, loading machinery, and I was having to take constant breaks and just whining at work, which is not what I want to be doing."
Bader told Denver7 she "didn't realize that there's a time limit of when you can send them back to the person that made them" and "was over those days without realizing it." She is now back to using her first pair of prosthetics, which are being held together by duct tape and glue. The left foot is also broken at the heel.
"[The left foot] very fragile. Like, I'm just waiting for the day that I pop it open and it breaks off again," Bader said.
Their condition has also made the prosthetics uncomfortable. Bader is outside the insurance coverage window for a new pair of prosthetics, so she's created a GoFundMe online fundraiser to purchase a pair outright.
"Now, I'm basically back to square one... my left foot is broken, and the [insurance] company won't cover me a new foot and my foot shells or toes. I have duct tape to hold them together," Bader said.
Bader is also in contact with a nonprofit to help with the funding, but even with help, prosthetic legs are expensive.
Despite the pain, Bader still has a positive outlook on life, knowing she will get back to doing what she loves to the fullest.
"So I know the things I did before, and I know the fact that these fit so well, that there is something else out there. And the fact that... I can't give up because, like I said, I want to keep doing the stuff I want to do," she said.
If you'd like to donate to Bader's cause, click here.
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