06:00, 06 April 2025
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
She might only be doing her GCSE’s, but Annabel Kiki is already more accomplished than your average teenager.
The winner of a Golden Boot, and more recently, the Smiley Champion of Change award, Annabel is quickly becoming an inspiration to people with limb differences and disabilities across the UK.
Since she was a young child, Annabel loved sports, and being active; especially football. Then, her world changed forever.
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, as a teenager, Annabel went on to have a year and a half of chemotherapy. Her leg was amputated from her knee down, and she survived a gruelling battle with sepsis.
Despite all this, Annabel is positivity personified. Her passion for the visibility and rights of those with disabilities is palpable when you meet her, Smiley News loved seeing the incredible work she is doing as a an amputee athlete.
In honour of the UN’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, we caught up with Annabel to hear about how sport has positively impacted her life, and how it can open up opportunities for people worldwide.
I don’t like to think of myself as disabled, I like to think of myself as enhanced. My Genium X3 prosthetic leg allows me to do everything I did before, just a little bit differently… maybe that’s what I am, differently abled. But yes, it is so important to highlight people of all abilities.
I guess it’s like in golf, when you play with a handicap, that term is used because it shows how good you must be to achieve something. For example, when I run now, it is so much more impressive than an able-bodied person running as it takes so much more effort and adaptation for me to achieve the same thing as everyone else.
I loved all sports and I was so competitive. The football team I played for were the best in Staffordshire and we won the cup 5 years in a row. The year I lost my leg was the first year they lost, which I love to bring up to my teammates all the time! Sport is just so freeing; it’s as if everything is amplified, going fast, jumping high, skidding to a stop on your skis. It’s all just high octane, and I am definitely a thrill seeker.
I did have the choice of limb salvage after my cancer diagnosis. I could have had a mega prosthesis inside my leg, but I wouldn’t have been able to run, jump, ski, play football, [or] anything sporty really. My leg would have looked like a leg, but it wouldn’t have worked very well. That’s when I decided to opt for the amputation.
I knew the Genium X3, the world's only waterproof prosthetic leg, would allow me to be active once again. It allows me to ski, to surf, to hike mountains, the list is endless. Unfortunately, it comes with a £120,000 price tag, and it needs to be replaced every 6 years – an additional weight on my shoulders, alongside my constant fear of relapse. You shouldn’t have to put a price on the incredible feeling of being active and achieving sporting success, but in the world of prosthetics, you can!
Sport should be for all, regardless of perceived limitations. I coach the Little Lionesses, 2-9 year-old girls who have lost their limbs, and the smile on their faces when they score their goals totally outshines the celebrations of professional players. Like I mentioned before, it seems to mean more to people who are told, or who believe, they’re less able. It’s like the feeling you get when you’re proving people wrong. They say ‘you can’t’; I say ‘watch me’.
This is one of the most important things. When I’m with the other England players, and when we travel to tournaments, we’re surrounded by people who look exactly like us and have overcome exactly the same things as us, so there’s a real comradery and acceptance, but the competition is still fierce! I guess it’s just important to surround yourself with like minded people, people who are showing the world what’s possible.
Access to good prosthetics. I am currently working with the children’s commissioner Dame Rachel D’Souza as one of her Youth Ambassadors in Westminster, and it’s my mission to try and find out why the NHS don’t offer the best prosthetics to children – I think I already know the answer – cost! I also feel there might be an element of fear, the idea that sport is no longer for you because of your disability, but please, reach out to one of the amazing charities like Limb Power or The Activity Alliance and just give it a go!
Honestly? I couldn’t hold back the tears on stage. I just felt so overwhelmed at all the people standing up for me. I’ve had such a horrible few years, and it was as if that moment marked the end, or maybe even the beginning depending on which way you look at it. It just felt important. It felt like a recognition of the bad times and a nod to the good times to come. It was a moment I’ll never forget, that’s for sure! So thank you. The trophy is on my desk next to my Golden Boot.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Scope. Scope is the disability equality charity in England and Wales, providing practical information and emotional support when it's most needed, campaigning to create a fairer society. Support them here.
Disability Rights UK. Disability Rights UK is the UK’s leading organisation led by, run by, and working for disabled people. Find out more.
Reach. Reach is a charity supporting children with upper limb differences and their families to live life without limitations. Learn more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing and Reduced Inequalities.
