In September, Kim Campbell represented Vascular Cures at the African American Male Wellness Walk in Atlanta. Kim has made it her goal to share information about peripheral artery disease: this is her way of honoring her mother, Gertrude.

Born in Greenville Mississippi, Kim’s father died when she was 9; she grew up close to her mother, and the two shared a lifelong bond often unique in single mother families. Gertrude, who made history as the first African American Postmaster in Starkville, Mississippi, started to experience serious health issues in her 50’s. By 60, she required frequent visits to the doctor: she was diabetic, had an old leg injury, had back issues. Kim, who had moved to Memphis, gotten her nursing degree and was a couple years into practicing, decided to move home, working nights at the ICU so that she was free to support her mother.

A year after moving to Greenville, Kim brought her mother in for leg pain, which was soon revealed to be a non-healing wound. Six weeks and five surgeries later, and a too-late diagnosis of untreated peripheral artery disease, Gertrude’s right leg was amputated. Kim, who had gained the trust of the hospital staff through her own work, was at her mother’s side the entire time, taking time off from her job, advocating for therapy, nutritious food, and a clean environment for her mother. By that time, Gertrude’s other leg was showing worrying signs, and Gertrude was assigned to a wound care clinic for continued monitoring. Kim took her weekly; despite Kim’s efforts and continued attention from a medical care team, Gertrude’s left leg circulation continued to degrade, and her leg required amputation.

Even while this was happening, Gertrude, never one to accept defeat, became an advocate for change: she testified to Congress about the need for greater attention to the risks of peripheral artery disease and the need for earlier screenings. Her work was so impactful that Vascular Cures presented Gertrude with the first Ron Stoney Vascular Hero award, recently renamed as the “Gertrude Campbell Vascular Hero Award”. Kim was at her side, helping her mother navigate the planes and other transportation hurdles Gertrude now faced as a double amputee. A few years after the second amputation, Kim found her mother on the floor after a bad fall; Gertrude died several days later.

Kim still tears up when she talks about her mother’s experience. She remembers an early leg injury, almost 10 years before Gertrude’s first amputation, that took a long time to heal. She suspects this was a first sign of developing disease. Gertrude was treated at a wound clinic for many years, but the connection to peripheral artery disease was not made until much later when Kim took her to the hospital for severe pain. Gertrude was never screened, her circulation never checked, and neither woman was given information about peripheral artery disease, even though Gertrude had most of the risk factors. “Most people don’t know about it,” Kim says, shaking her head, “that’s why I want to tell our story; her amputations and early death were preventable; wherever I go I want to make sure people know— it’s my way of honoring her.”