April Nyreen

April Nyreen has always had a love for music. She grew up in a large family from Anchorage, Alaska, where she lives today. Growing up, Nyreen was given the opportunity to develop her musical abilities when she began playing the piano as lead musician at the church where her father was the pastor. She also had an interest in songwriting, as she enjoyed expressing her thoughts of love, adoration and worship of God through this form of creative communication.

When she was only 19 years old, difficult life situations came that changed her perspective of who and what God really means to her. She had discovered a hard mass on her left leg that doctors later diagnosed as a desmoid tumor. After having surgery to remove the tumor, she noticed recurrences of tumors throughout her leg, which again had to be removed.

“It was like a catch-22 and I was stuck. Just when I thought the tumors were gone, another would pop up,” said Nyreen.

Despite the distraction of her medical condition, Nyreen excelled in school and received a degree in Fine Arts (emphasis in Music). After battling what is known as the rare cancer, alveolar sarcoma, she had to undergo partial amputation of her left leg in November of 2008.

After seeing other prosthetists and her fittings not going well, Nyreen started researching prosthetic companies on the Internet.

“I knew there were better options out there, but I wasn’t sure where to look. After reading some information on Bulow BioTech’s website and seeing an ad in InMotion Magazine, I decided to give them a call,” said Nyreen.

After speaking with the friendly staff at Bulow, Nyreen decided to give it a shot and took the trip to Nashville, Tenn.

“Nashville is certainly not in my neighborhood, but I have always been drawn to the city’s vibrant music and entertainment scene,” said Nyreen. “I also have family in Memphis, so this gives me another reason to visit them on a more frequent basis.”

As soon as she met Matt Bulow, Nyreen was immediately in her comfort zone.

“Since Matt has personally felt what I feel, he knew exactly what he was talking about when he fit me to my new prosthesis,” said Nyreen. “He understood my pain and genuinely cared about helping me.”

Bulow fit Nyreen with the Ossur Rheo Knee®, which adjusts to the user’s gait 1,000 times per second and offers the ability to walk on inclines. Nyreen says that everyday walking requires less effort and she feels more stable with her new prosthesis.
“I thank God for bringing the Bulow BioTech team of Matt, David, Scott and Brenda my way at a time I thought all hope was lost. They have been, without question, a blessing beyond measure for me,” said Nyreen.

This traumatic experience did not slow Nyreen down. She has continued writing. At every opportunity, she expressed her desire to compile the conversations she had with God in different songs in a recording. Those conversations had taken place during the turbulent journey with her health.

“I desperately wanted to share my songs with others who were going through difficult times,” said Nyreen.

In May of 2009, Nyreen’s first EP (extended play), “Conversations with God,” was released. She is currently working on her first album.