True Bravery – The Ability to Conquer One’s Fear
When things get really tough and I find myself a bit down, I am one of those people who likes to search out sources of inspiration. I honestly do not think any can top that of double amputee Aimee Mullins.
Born with fibular hemimelia, Aimee had both her legs amputated below the knee when she was just one year old. The difficult decision of her parents to amputate was based on a simple fact:
If she had her legs amputated, she would eventually be able to learn to walk with artificial limbs. If she had kept her legs, it would have meant a lifetime confined to a wheel chair.
Her parents took the option that would give her the best chance at an independent life. Ever since that day, this awe-inspiring young lady has been showing people how to respond when life throws challenges your way.
Despite being a double amputee, Aimee would play numerous sports as a youngster. Eventually she began competing in track at Georgetown where she had earned a full academic scholarship in the foreign service program. Competing against ‘able-bodied’ athletes she became the first disabled athlete to compete in NCAA Division I track and field.
As for one of her identifying traits, the idea that “true bravery is not the absence of fear, but the ability to conquer it” comes from her about her famed college coach and her concerns about running the 200-meters in the Big East Championship meet. She was enormously fearful of competing in the race as issues with her prosthetic in the 100-meter had her believing that her leg might fall off in front of thousands of spectators while running the 200-meter.
She acknowledges pleading with her coach to withdraw from the race. He does not cut her any slack, instead offering with his deepest Brooklyn accent:
Aimee, so what if your leg falls off! You pick it up, you put the damn thing back on and you finish the God-damn race.
If you need a little pick me up or are interested in this young woman’s wondrous spirit and 12 pairs of legs, including the high-tech appendages that she uses for running, check out her appearance on Ted.com:
