Milly Pickles was just 20 years old when her life changed beyond measure. The then-Bournemouth University student was electrocuted in an accident and had to have her right leg amputated below the knee.
“My accident changed me in the sense that I realised how strong I am, and I didn’t realise that before,” says Milly, now 27, as she sits down with GLAMOUR and Samsung to share her story for International Women’s Day. “I’m definitely the same person I was before,” Milly continues, “but now I know the value of life.”
TikTok content
Since the accident, she has become a content creator, motivational speaker and fitness and disability advocate. But for Milly, it’s her community that means the most, and without technology, she says, this simply wouldn’t exist. “I've been able to grow a community online and connect with other amputees and people who have gone through hard times. I’m so grateful for that.”
In fact, part of the reason we’re here today is to discuss how the Samsung Galaxy FE Family make Milly’s day-to-day life easier. For content creators like Milly, the Galaxy S23 FE smartphone offers the best pro-level camera in the game, with crisp, clear images and that essential long-lasting battery, and works harmoniously with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablet, which is great for staying up-to-date on socials and jotting down those all-important to-do lists. The noise-cancelling Galaxy Buds FE are essential for Milly too, who wears them when she’s training for the London Marathon in April.
Here, Milly talks empowerment through exercise, the importance of inclusivity, and how her gadgets help her stay connected to her community…
How did your social media journey begin?
I was just desperate to find people like me, and my mum and sister thought I might do that if I started posting on social media. So that's what I did. One of my videos went viral on TikTok, and I’ve now been doing social media for three years.
How does your phone help with that?
The Samsung Galaxy FE family is a great way to stay connected to other people online. If it wasn't for all my tech, I wouldn't be able to do my Run Club, I wouldn't be doing my job, I wouldn't be able to track my training. So without my tech, I wouldn’t even have my community.
What is it about the products that help you stay connected to your community?
I film videos to share with my community online, so I love the start-stop feature on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE – being able to stop the video then quickly, change direction and record saves time on editing, so I’m able to get it up quicker on socials. It’s super helpful. Plus, it’s great to create playlists on, which I use at the Run Club and blare the music out while we’re running.
Why is community so important to you?
Growing the community has been the best thing because there are so many amputees that I've connected with now. For me, that has massively helped. Even just asking amputees, ‘My leg is really sweaty, what should I do?’ I’ve got people coming to me who are amputees, people who are disabled who aren’t amputees, and just people who are going through something difficult in life. I feel very grateful that people feel like they can be open with me about their problems. I’ve had people tell me I’ve helped them not commit suicide. It just means a lot. Having community and feeling like you belong is a huge thing for people. I think that’s all we want in life, just to feel like we belong and are loved, right?
How has your relationship to sport changed since your accident?
My relationship to sport has massively changed, but my love for it is still there. It’s funny, because I was always scared to enter the gym, and the day before my accident, I finally picked up the courage and went to a class. The next day, I lost my leg. Afterwards, I felt vulnerable and scared going to the gym as an amputee. I didn’t know how to exercise anymore. There was nothing online, no one on social media I could relate to. I had to learn on my own. I had to learn to run differently. But I thought, if I can do it with two legs, I can do it with one.
So you built the community online that you’d been looking for?
As soon as I lost my leg, I wanted to find people online that I could relate to. All I wanted to do was just see someone was five years along, just so I’d know I’d be OK. And there was literally nobody. When I started growing my social media following, that's when I realised I could be that person that I never had for others. I'm really glad that I've been able to do that.
How does running make you feel?
Running makes me feel alive. I put in my Samsung Galaxy Buds FE and think about happy memories and visualise the future – and having that with the fresh air makes me feel incredible. I don’t know how people work out without headphones because I am obsessed with my Samsung earbuds. Whenever I put on my music, I just feel like I'm in my own zone.
What makes you feel empowered?
When I’ve completed a challenge and done something I didn’t think was possible.
What’s your running goal this year?
The London Marathon. I've never run a marathon before and the training has been challenging. I can't currently walk and I've been in a wheelchair for the past two weeks after running a half marathon during training, and it's ruined my foot. I only have three toes on my human foot and I don't have a full calf. My amputated leg got loads of cuts, which means I can't put my prosthetic leg on. But for me, I think your mind is so strong and powerful, and it can get you through anything. So I'll do what I can in the coming weeks and then just show up and get it done.
How do you think your content has changed people’s perception of disability in sport?
When I first found out I was losing my leg, the first thing I said to my parents when all the surgeons left my room was, ‘At least I can be in the Paralympics now.’ At that time, I was looking for something that I couldn't do before that I could do now. But I know other people that are disabled who find it hard because people automatically assume that they must be entering the Paralympics – but not every able-bodied person is going to the Olympics. So for me, I found it helpful at that time, but for others, it's quite difficult.
On one of your channels you said if you could rewind time, you wouldn’t change a single thing…
Absolutely. If I could go back in time and change what happened to me, I definitely wouldn't. Because I think how much I've learned about myself, and the people I've met and the things that I've done are so incredible that I would hate to not live that. Accepting my accident and losing my leg has meant that I haven't resented it, and I've been able to be happy. Having my life nearly taken from me has taught me what it means to be alive. I am just desperate to live my life.
Do you think people saying ‘sport is for everyone’ is an accurate statement?
I think movement is for everybody. Exercise is difficult because there are limitations put on disabled people. If you go to the gym, there aren't machines that necessarily work for your disability, or the fact that running blades are really expensive. So being disabled, it's hard to feel included sometimes. But movement is something that everybody should do and can be celebrated, whether you're in a wheelchair or not.
Shop the full Samsung Galaxy FE range at Samsung.com.
