Djibril Kande: Championing Amputee Community

Hello, my fellow thrive readers. Every time I sit down to write for our community, I’m reminded of how powerful we are when we share our stories with one another. For the past four years of writing for thrive magazine, I’ve mostly told my own story of recovery from amputation. I’ve shared raw moments, victories, setbacks, and the reality of rebuilding life after limb loss. This year something shifted for me. Instead of only looking inward, I started looking outward toward others in the limb loss community whose stories should be heard just as much as my own.

I met Djibril Kande two years ago at a Ride Again motorcycle event in Pennsylvania. He was the only other Canadian there, and that alone felt like fate nudging us toward a conversation. But what drew me to him was something deeper. As two people navigating life as lower-limb amputees, there was an immediate understanding between us — one of those rare connections that doesn’t need much explanation. “Everyone calls me Champ,” he was quick to insist.

From the moment we met I sensed two distinct qualities in Champ, and both have proven to be true… emotional strength and kindness. Since we met, he has become one of the people who I turn to during my own emotional downfalls. He’s the kind of person who always carries a good heart that presents in an unwavering smile regardless of what life puts in front of him.

In connecting for this feature story, I realized that there was much more to understand about Champ, on a deeper level, even deeper than before. After exercising the unique freedom to unabashedly ask questions of another as a writer, I became more connected to his journey than ever. My hope is that as you read about Champ, you’ll find the same inspiring connection in him that I have.

His story, as it relates to the amputee community, begins in 2010 when a motorcycle accident changed the course of his life.

At the time he was in his twenties, in a season of life when the future feels wide open and limitless. He was an athlete – a football player – and a volunteer with the Edmonton Police Services. Not unlike other twenty-somethings, Champ was focused on building a life, chasing goals, and imagining where the years ahead might take him. But as many of us know well, life sometimes has a way of rewriting our plans without warning.

He was clipped by a passing car, but it wasn’t the motorcycle accident that claimed his foot. He survived with only a few cuts and bruises. It was sepsis.

A few days after the crash Champ started to experience flu-like symptoms. He was shivering with a fever and couldn’t warm up. His body was aching. His stomach was off. He knew something was wrong but barely remembers getting to the hospital. His blood pressure dropped dramatically shortly after he got there and he lost consciousness. A bacterial infection from one of those cuts sent him into septic shock.

Surviving on life support for weeks, Champ sustained damage to his hands and feet. He awoke weak – losing over 40 kilograms in coma – and afraid and confused as discussions of multiple amputations swirled around him. He didn’t know any amputees except for the story of Terry Fox. That’s why peer support and giving back is so important to him today.

Recovery was long and lonely. After multiple surgical procedures, at one-year post-infection he became a metatarsal (partial-foot) amputee. But his quality of life still suffered – constant antibiotics, chronic pain and crutches. So did his mental health. He was gravely affected by the thought of losing his identity and he honestly believed that his life was over.

After nine years of suffering, Champ made the difficult decision to have his leg amputated below the knee. A decision that can be hard to understand for some, for Champ it was rooted in hope rather than defeat — the belief that a better quality of life existed on the other side. He says that it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

The early days of recovery were not without doubt. There were moments when he questioned whether he had made the right choice. Recovery can feel like standing at the bottom of a mountain and not knowing how long, or difficult, the climb will be.

But slowly, as time passed, something began to shift. Movement returned. Strength followed. And with that strength came something just as powerful — confidence. Before his accident, physical activity wasn’t just something that Champ enjoyed; it was part of how he understood himself. Losing a limb challenged his identity in ways that he finds difficult to put into words.

Determined to find his way back to movement again, becoming a para-athlete reconnected him with a part of himself that was still there. Athletic discipline, drive, and desire pushed him past physical and emotional limitations. The gym became more than just a place to train. It became a space for rebuilding, where strength returned not only to his body but to his sense of self as well.

Living with limb loss also means learning about how the world sees you. For Champ, that experience brings with it another layer. As a black man standing with a formidable presence at six-foot-two, visible scars, and a prosthetic leg, he knows that people are often unsure of how to approach him. Sometimes curiosity turns into quiet assumptions. He shares that there are instances when people notice him, his scars and missing leg, and implicitly assume that he was shot.

Champ lives at the intersection of race and disability, two identities that society often underestimates. It is that experience that has shaped his mission to help others transform adversity into strength. And yet, what he appreciates most are the moments when the people closest to him see beyond all of it… when friends who know him well simply forget that he’s an amputee. In those moments, he’s simply Champ.

A deeply indelible moment for him happened in a quiet encounter with someone he loves. Returning home after his amputation Champ anticipated with uncertainty what might be the reaction of his two-year-old nephew Gabriel who would see his uncle as an amputee for the first time.

Typically, Gabriel would run straight into his arms without hesitation. But this time the little boy paused, standing back, trying to understand what had changed. Gabriel kept his distance until, with encouragement from Champ’s sister, he slowly made his way over.

Champ did his best to keep the moment light so his nephew wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, but inside it impacted him immensely. It was an early reminder for him, he says, that limb loss doesn’t just affect the person experiencing it. Families, friends, and even the little ones in our lives must learn to adapt alongside us.

Over time, those experiences helped inspire something that would become extremely meaningful to Champ. Champstrong began as a seedling idea and evolved into an over-arching message centered on resilience, mindset and community.

His organization exists to remind and reinforce that losing a limb does not mean losing our identity, strength, or potential. Champstrong brings amputees together through connection, mentorship, and shared experiences. It brings amputees together to support one another and see that life after limb loss can still be full of possibility.

Champ also pours his heart into others through his passion for coaching. During the time when his world had become very small — largely revolving around medical appointments and rehabilitation — a former coach encouraged Champ to help with a team. He agreed to do it for just one year.

What once gave him something incredibly meaningful during a time when he needed it most now, eleven years later generates something even more meaningful for Champ. He’s mentoring young athletes with lessons from his own experiences, and helping to shape a generation not only as players but as people.

Listening to Champ share his story reminded me of something I’ve come to wholeheartedly believe about this community… each of us living with limb loss carries a story worth sharing with others like us. Not because those stories are defined by loss, but because they are scripted by resilience. Champ’s journey isn’t just about an accident or an amputation. It’s about rediscovering strength, rebuilding identity, and choosing — again and again — to move forward.

Champ’s choices around moving forward have paid dividends in many aspects of his life. He pours his energy into the many passions that drive him, like being in front of the camera to model for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas and Lululemon, and using those opportunities to proudly bring visibility to amputees in spaces where we are rarely seen.

He also loves the freedom of the open road, riding his motorcycle whenever he can. But beyond the photos, the miles, and the accomplishments, the thing that he’s most passionate about is family.

In a world that can feel isolating after limb loss, finding people who truly understand can make a world of difference. For me, Champ is a reminder of just how strong and connected this community can be. His story is a powerful illustration of what can happen when resilience and purpose unite. It’s a reminder that true strength can simply be the willingness to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, until you learn to stand in a way that feels comfortably and entirely you.