Embracing life with a prosthetic leg
Many people have struggles in life, but how you handle them is what determines the quality of your life. I learned this at a young age when I was growing up with a prosthetic leg in a small town in East Texas. There are not many other people who have prosthetics in this area and, in general, people are not used to things that are different for them. People may bully, feel sorry for, or show ignorance toward you if you are different. This is why it is so important when given the choice to feel bad for yourself or to use this strife as motivation to thrive, you choose to thrive.
My story starts when I was born with Fibular Hemimelia. This is when the fibula does not fully develop. I had my right foot amputated when I was eleven months old. My prosthetic leg is the only thing I have ever known. I then went on to have multiple surgeries on my knees due to the way they were growing. I did not know a lot of people who were in the hospital the way I was, but I did not let these factors alter the way I thought of myself. Thanks to the world class care I received in my formative years; I have always been able to compete at any level I set my sights on.
I went through high school playing sports and keeping a positive attitude. That did not stop mean girls from calling me names such as “one foot” or people from having pity on me. People thought because I was missing my foot, that I couldn’t accomplish the same things they could. I wanted to show everyone they were wrong. I wanted to prove I was just like everyone else. As I continued this mission of mine, accomplishing just as much while receiving twice the pity and spite, I went on to realize it isn’t what others think about me that is important, but what I think about myself that really matters.
If I were to go about my life with what others had built up in my head, I would have never been able to accomplish all that I have. Instead, I would have probably felt sorry for myself and told myself terrible things like I am incapable and weird. However, due to the few people who believed in me and my unwillingness to give up, I decided to look at my leg as an inspiration for others around me, instead of a crutch. When I thought of it this way, I started feeling better about myself and in feeling better about myself, I accomplished things people told me I could never do, like exercise, competitive sports, modeling, and inspiring those around me.
Overall, when dealing with struggles in life, what is most important are the thoughts you have about yourself and how willing you are to handle hard situations. There will always be people in life who are going to be critical of you or judge you because you are different. But what do they matter? You are the one who gets the choice to live your life or lay down and wallow in what others think or say. So, are you going to feel bad about yourself or are you going to thrive?
