ESTEVAN - The support shown by the War Amps Childhood Amputee (CHAMP) program has given an Estevan youth a greater awareness and appreciation for the impact and efforts of Canada's veterans.
Ten-year-old Emma Grobbink visits the local cenotaph to honour the sacrifices made by veterans who fought for their country. She likes to be at the local war memorial on Remembrance Day to place a flower or poppy. She started this personal tradition five years ago.
"I go to the cenotaph to remember the veterans who fought in the war," said Emma in an interview with the Mercury and SaskToday. "Some of them lost limbs and they didn't know what to do, and that's basically how the War Amps was founded."
Emma's mother Jessica said they will attend the ceremony at the Estevan Comprehensive School on Nov. 11, starting at 10:45 a.m., and then they usually leave their poppies at the cenotaph after the gathering.
The War Amps was founded over 100 years ago to support amputee veterans returning from the First World War, and has since expanded its programs to assist all amputees, including children.
Emma takes pride in her involvement with Operation Legacy, which encourages members of the CHAMP Program to participate in commemorative events and take up the torch of remembrance.
She was born with three fingers on her right hand. The War Amps helped her by providing her with prosthetics, enabling her to participate in activities, such as playing basketball, performing cartwheels or handstands on the front lawn, riding her bicycle or using the monkey bars in the playground.
"They've helped me with a lot of things," she said.
And Emma has met other children who have been through similar experiences so she doesn't feel alone.
"They hold seminars, normally, for the kids and their families to travel, and then it's good for the kids to meet other kids like them, but they provide a lot of information for the parents," said Jessica.
"They provide a resource kit for the parents. They provide a resource kit for when kids are starting school, because usually there's going to be a lot of questions and stuff like that. It's just a really good resource, both for parents and for kids."
They have to travel to meet with a specialist at the Wascana Rehab Centre to have Emma's prosthetics custom-made, a cost covered by the War Amps.
"She doesn't have to choose between being able to do activities, because the custom prosthetics would be very expensive," said Jessica.
Emma said she has learned a lot about the men and women who served their country. A great-grandfather and an uncle are both veterans, and so there is a deep personal connection for her.
