A little girl named Qian Hongyan lived a quiet and happy life with her family in the Yunnan province in China.
However, when she was just three-years-old, she experienced a traumatic event that would change her life forever.
Qian was involved in a serious accident. The doctors worked hard and managed to save her life, but they had to amputate her legs and part of her lower body. Qian’s family couldn’t afford medical treatment, prosthetics, or anything else to help with her disability.
Qian was stuck at home, unable to move. She thought she would never be able to leave her home, again. One day, her grandfather had an idea that would be the beginning of something amazing, something would touch the entire world.
This little girl’s story is a wonderful story of strength and resilience…
After the accident, Qian thought she would never be able to move on her own. She was trapped at home and unable to do anything for herself. Her family didn’t have enough money to provide Qian with anything to help with her disability. But, they never lost hope. One day her Grandpa brought home a basketball.
He cut off part of the ball and made two wooden handles for Qian’s hands. Then, he showed his grandchild how she could move using his new invention.
“From the very beginning when I started using it, I became incredibly happy. For the first time, I felt I could finally get out of bed, out of the room and out into the yard, and had a much bigger space to play in, a much bigger world,” Qiang Hongyan has said, according to SVT.
This amazing little girl’s story spread throughout the world and people began to call her the “basketball girl”.
The photos of Qian and the basketball spread quickly, and people from all over the world started donating money so that she could afford real prosthetics and be able to walk and move.
Qian says it was hard to start using her leg prostheses, but she refused to give up. In the end, she was able to achieve her dream — to walk again.
The little fighter also revealed that she would like to learn to swim. However, it wouldn’t be easy. It took strength and perseverance, but she did it. Not only did she learn to swim, she did so well that she qualified for the 2009 Paralympics. After that amazing feat, her successes have continued.
She now competes at the professional level and has won several major competitions, which means that she has earned a significant amount of money.
Qian admits that learning to swim and competing professionally has been a difficult road, but the secret was to never give up. Her iron will encourages all of us never to lose hope.
Now Qian has new prostheses that look even more real. She’s amazing!
Qian is an inspiration and we’re so fortunate to see what she has accomplished. She proves that anything can be accomplished as long as you refuse to give up.
Please share her inspiring journey to remind others to never lose hope.
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