Blake Hall
When U.S. Marine Sgt. Kirstie Ennis walked 1,000 miles straight into Prince Harry’s tearful embrace in November 2015, she was preparing to have her left leg amputated. Nearly six months down the line and two operations later, Ennis is ready for the world to see her post-surgery body.
The photographs, taken by Marissa Boucher, were shared by Ennis with PEOPLE. The three images show a bikini-clad Ennis at different stages of her amputation. Keep in mind that the last photo was flipped into order to better feature her prosthetic leg.
Originally, Ennis was only supposed to have her left leg amputated to below the knee. An infection after her surgery made it necessary to amputate the leg even further. Despite the challenges, it’s clear from her confident stare that Ennis is, in her words, “just as whole.”
Ennis told PEOPLE these photos of her post-surgery body do more than feature her amputation.
The bikini enabled her to reveal those injuries too. “I wanted to show the scars initially, anywhere on my body, even the disfiguring scar on my face,” she says. “I wanted to portray the scars but I also I wanted to show the evolution of what I have been through.
“At the end of the day, the struggle of what you go through – whether it be traumatic or if you have a bad day in everyday life – the struggle is what makes you stronger.”
The 25 year-old veteran served in the military for six years before she was wounded in 2012. Her Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed into the Afghanistan desert, shattering her jaw and legs. She also suffered spinal damage.
Ennis’ road to recovery was tough from the start. She spent the next few years in and out of the hospital, and by the time she was walking towards Buckingham Palace in November, Ennis had undergone 38 surgeries.
Ennis met military veteran advocate Prince Harry after walking 1,000 miles to raise money for Walking for the Wounded. It is her ambition to take part in the prince’s Invictus Games this spring.