Whangarei woman with amputated leg volunteers her support

Volunteer support person for five amputees across New Zealand, Kathy Palmer. Photo / Tania Whyte

Whangārei amputee Kathy Palmer is one of 57 peer support volunteers across the country offering the service she wished she'd had five years ago.

Palmer is the support person for five amputees currently, giving advice for the new struggles they face, and being a listener who is all too familiar with their experience.

In the nine months she has been a peer support volunteer, she has supported 13 people, gaining three new people in the past week.

"When I heard about this service I thought 'this is exactly what I was looking for for myself', maybe I can do something to help," Palmer said.

It was just five years ago that Palmer, in her 70s, was stabbed by a Phoenix palm while gardening, causing an awful fungal infection which led to her left leg needing to be amputated above the knee.

Having gone through the experience herself, Palmer is now able to support women of her age with the same type of amputation across New Zealand.

She has supported women from Christchurch, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Hamilton and Auckland.

Palmer calls her peers every few weeks for more than an hour, talking to them about where they're at and sharing her story with them.

"I found the experience very isolating, especially being in Whangārei. If you don't know who other amputees are, you don't know who to go to for help."

One of the most significant differences between Palmer's amputation and many of the women she has supported over the past nine months, is hers is covered by Accident Compensation Corporation because it is classified as an accident spawned amputation, while most are considered medical.

Fortunately for Palmer, ACC covered and continues to cover the costs of altering her lifestyle because of her amputation.

ACC paid for her prosthetic leg 28 days after her surgery, the remodelling of her bathroom for improved accessibility, and the psychiatrists and physiotherapists for the past five years.

"It's hard dealing with the grief of losing a limb as well as the health issues associated with it," says Kathy Palmer. Photo / Tania Whyte.

However medical amputees don't receive the same support which Palmer says is "so unfair and something that needs to be changed".

"It's hard dealing with the grief of losing a limb as well as the health issues associated with it."

Palmer's amputation site had fully healed two weeks post-surgery, however a woman she supports with underlying health issues still hasn't recovered after her February surgery.

Medical amputations are commonly a result of diabetes and heart and circulation issues.

There are 4400 people with amputations in New Zealand and the volunteer peer support service has supported 90 people in the past year.

This week, June 21-27, is National Volunteer Week which celebrates the collective contribution of all volunteers in New Zealand.