One Leg Up On Life's Mission
To glorify God and help children live life to the fullest by providing prosthetic limbs to amputees who cannot afford them.

Our Goals
As they grow, young amputees are often left with ill-fitting or outdated prosthetic limbs. Many of these children are victims of natural disaster, are subject to extreme poverty, and have limited medical/financial resources. Our aim is to work in conjunction with medical and prosthetic professionals to provide updated prosthetic limbs to these children in need - as many as possible!
 
Our Goals:
- Continue providing prosthetic limbs to children who cannot afford them
- Establish a new prosthetic lab at St. Boniface hospital, Fond des Blancs, Haiti
- Continue conducting regular medical/amputee support trips to Haiti
- Hire a full-time Haitian staff member to provide follow-up repairs and continuing education
- Train Haitian physical therapist at partner location to treat amputees
- Maintain less than a 10% fundraising rate (2017's was 8.6%)

Legal Info
- The One Leg Up On Life Foundation is established and federally recognized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization; our IRS Form 1023 is available upon request, please contact us!     
​- Please contact us if you would like further legal information; we value transparency and we look forward to hearing from you!
"I'm determined to turn this life-changing event and all the support I’ve received into something positive to help others!”

The Foundation's Beginnings

On April 11, 2015, Captain Christy Wise was struck by a hit-and-run boat while paddle boarding near Shalimar, Florida.  The injuries she sustained required her right leg be amputated above the knee.  Christy counts her survival a miracle.

Christy’s twin sister, Jessica, is a surgical resident who has provided medical assistance with the Children of Nations non-profit organization since 2010. Over the course of her countless hours with Dominican and Haitian populations, Jessica realized a significant need for prosthetic limbs exists among children as young amputees grow out of preliminary devices. Many families cannot afford new limbs for their children.​

To address this need, together with Jessica and Tim Wiser, Christy founded the One Leg Up On Life Foundation in July 2015. 

Initially, the foundation focused on six children Jessica worked with since 2010, replacing their outgrown prosthetic limbs.  With donated supplies and volunteered technical expertise, our goal is for each child's prosthesis to be built in Haiti.
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Christy’s infectiously positive attitude, Christ-centered heart, and unquenchable motivation are evident through her words: “I've received care and treatment from the most amazing specialists and cutting edge technology the military has to offer. I've also realized that there are amputees in third world countries that do not receive a fraction of the care that is offered in the US. I'm determined to turn this life-changing event and all the support I’ve received into something positive to help others!”

About Our Directors

Christy Wise Kinsey
As an Air Force Rescue pilot, Major Christy Wise Kinsey has dedicated her professional life to saving the lives of isolated personnel by piloting the world’s premier Combat Search and Rescue airframe, the HC-130J. She is a combat veteran, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following her amputation, Christy completed rehabilitation at San Antonio Military Medical Center's Center for the Intrepid, and in late June 2016 became the first female amputee in Air Force history to return to flying duty.  Christy is a 2009 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and received her Master of Arts in Theology from Liberty University. She is also a registered Foster Parent in the States of Georgia and Arizona.

Jessica Wise Coleman
Dr. Jessica Wise Coleman is a surgeon and Christy's twin sister!  She has served with the Children of the Nations organization since 2010 providing medical care in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Christy's Story in the Media
Christy's address to the United States Air Force Academy's 2021 National Character and Leadership Symposium
Checkpoints (June 2018) video about Christy
Washingon Post video from Jacob Feldman's article After Losing Leg, Air Force Pilot...​ which is linked below.
General Mark Welsh, then-Chief of Staff of the Air Force, delivers an address to the 2015 Air and Space Conference.

​Skip to 50:30 to hear him speak about Christy.
​Reno Gazette-Journal video from Chris Murray's article After Tragedy, Christy Wise...​ which is linked below

Reading

- "I'm back to my life" Says Invictus Competitor Christy Wise by Anna Katherine Clemmons of ESPN
 - Female Air Force Pilot Amputee Returns to the Skes by Oriana Pawlyk of Air Force Times
- Wise Makes History After Being Returned To Fly by Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal
​- After Tragedy, Christy Wise Lives With One Leg Up On Life by Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal
- After Losing Leg, Air Force Pilot... by Jacob Feldman of the Washington Post
- Not Quitting Anytime Soon by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr.
- Paralympic Dreams by Lisa Costantini of Team USA
- Sen. Dean Heller (NV) Recognizes Christy