Thursday, October 1, 2009

Little Cheetah

To counterbalance all of the JAs of the world, are truly awesome people who inspire. They are like a spoonful of sugar...helping some of life's minor unpleasantries go down.

For example: Oscar Pistorius

Oscar is only 22, a Paralympian, and described by throngs of people as the fastest man with no legs. He had both legs removed at ten months of age, but let nothing stop him in his pursuit of becoming a fierce and able bodied athlete.

He has won numerous medals, and he does it on a pair of futuristic looking Cheetah Blades made by a company called Ossur.

He did this despite being different, looking different, wearing prothestic as a young boy, and losing his Mom when he was only 15. In his words, athletics saved his life and his spirit. I applaud anyone who can rise above adversity to face fear and failure and come out swinging.

But what was most compelling about the articles I read, was this:

Oscar racing a little 5 year old girl named Ellie Challis on her new Cheetah blades.

In the not too distant past, a little girl born without limbs had limited options available to her that would provide movement or freedom. More importantly, a child in a wheelchair did not have the access or capability of "playing" in the traditional ways that children play. Some of these kids would spend a lifetime on the sideline...just wishing for a chance to get in the game.

So now, to see a beautiful little girl, running alongside an Olympic athlete, as if being born without limbs was a minor and temporary inconvenience was inspiring and to be candid, moved my heart.

I applaud the advancements we have seen in our lifetime, and I hope for many more so that every child born a bit different can run, and play, and be free. And I hope our society continues to evolve to understand and accept that sometimes differences mean the same kind of different as everyone else.

And darling Ellie, you have so much ahead of you. I hope Oscar inspires you like he has already inspired so many others. And I cheer you along as you run, and play, and be free.

86 comments:

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I've heard about him, but never seen the photos of him or Ellie! Now that's inspirational!!!

Hit 40 said...

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I had not seen this picture. Oscar is a true hero who shows what life is all about!!

I saved this pic to show my students today :-) I have decided to have a pic of the day from my blog reading for my students. I find the most amazing things on our blogs to share.

the walking man said...

His is an amazing story of courage and grace and a hearty well done and bon chance to his future and all of them in similar circumstance who now have a beacon of hope.

I am curious though would it have turned out the same way had he been under the influence of the American health industry?

A Fist Full of Dandelions said...

The advancements we have made are so amazing. Fifty or sixty years ago, who'd have thought this would have been possible?

Great post!

BTW,I'm doing more costume ideas over the next few weeks. If you have a particular one you want me to attack, let me know.

debra@dustjacket said...

It brings a lump to your throat, seeing Oscar and Ellie and reading of his wonderful outlook on life. Just something that we need to remind ourselves of, they have so much to teach us.
xoxo

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

That is truly beautiful. How awesome!

Unknown said...

An incredibly moving and inspiring piece of writing JennyMac...great pictures too....thank you.

PS Loved your "Famous Face" piece yesterday....VERY funny....loved your "fancy pants" comment :)

And thank you so much for your lovely comments on my blog, I am very happy to know you pop in :)

Eric said...

Inspiring. Listening to people complain about trivial things seems even more silly after reading about how this guy rose above the disadvantages.

mommakin said...

Kinda makes feeling sorry for oneself seem a little self-indulgent, huh? What a great story.

Mala said...

That is amazing!

Thanks for sharing.

The Peach Tart said...

Ellie is just adorable. What an inspiring story.

Chic Mama said...

It brought tears to my eyes....
medical advancement is amazing, lets hope it just gets better and better and all children like Ellie get a chance to get some new special limbs. Thanks for the post. :0)

Jinksy said...

Some humans have the most indomitable spirit, that little girl maybe more than most.

FancyPants said...

What an amazing start to my day. I sit here inspired with tears of joy that I get to share this world with people like this!

Unknown said...

How awesome is THAT? Amazing!

courtney said...

awww that is so cool. it's amazing what people can do.

The Four Week Vegan said...

That is amazing - I am misty-eyed after reading this.

Unknown said...

How completely amazing. Thanks for an inspiring post!

Scrappy Girl said...

I love this story! Thanks for sharing...I'm off to get a tissue.

Kathy B! said...

This just makes my heart swell. Thanks for posting about this and starting my day with such an uplifting post.

Summer said...

Brought tears to my eyes....

Some of us take so much for granted every single day...thanks for reminding me that I should be thankful for every second here on God's beautiful earth.

Happy Wednesday...

Gin said...

This is beautiful. Thank you for cheering up my day.

A French Cloud said...

Yes! what an inspiration--but chances are, he doesn't think he is...a true hero. (I'm such an idiot- after reading "Paralympian" wondered what country he was from...then read the rest of the sentence.)
Thanks for sharing!

sitting on the mood swing at the playground said...

This is beautiful...the story and the photos.

MommyLisa said...

I>LOVE>THIS!!! Our local children's hospital has been running ads showing kids with "differences" and the tag line has been "Pity. 100% curable." I love this...and love that I can raise a child who is not afraid of wheelchairs or anyone different than her.

I wish the news had more of this than other stuff.

Thank you JennyMac!

Pramoda Meduri said...

HI Jenny,

Thanks alott for the inspirational post..loved it and loved the ppl u mentioned...

Thank You sooo much..:)

Claudya Martinez said...

So touching!

Anonymous said...

Amazing and very inspirational story!

ellen abbott said...

Now if only those wonderful legs and feet can be available to every person who needs them...rich. poor, insured, uninsured.

Jules AF said...

That is the cutest thing ever. Will. Not. Tear. Up.

Lee said...

That is so nice. Thank you for that. Living in a world full of you know what, it's nice to see some good for a change!

Barbaloot said...

What a darling picture! Thanks for sharing.

Kristina P. said...

That is one of the sweetest pictures I have seen.

And I inititally thought you said "The world's FATTEST man with no legs." I wasn't quite sure where this was going.

Amy said...

Thank you so much for sharing this. It is so inspiring!

foxy said...

What a beautiful post! He is truly an inspiration...

i am the diva said...

i'm all choked up...

Buckeroomama said...

I was reading through this post and when I came to the picture of him racing with the little girl, I felt the corners of my mouth turning up and breaking into a full-blown smile.

Thanks for sharing this.

The Redhead Riter said...

Wow! I do not believe that I would cope well. I fear that I would just give up and feel sorry for myself.

That's pathetic of me isn't it?

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

Awesome.

Not much more to say than that.

Liz Mays said...

It's extraordinary!

Anonymous said...

How inspiring! I might have cried a little.

Intense Guy said...

I've seen a commercial on Tv with a runner using these "legs" and thought to myself, "How cool!"

The little girl goes beyong, "How cool!" to "How touching and wonderful."

For all the JA's as you put it - there are still some human beings worthy of kind of thoughts. The human spirit *is* indomitable.

Vodka Logic said...

Thanks for the story, with all the doom and gloom in the world it is nice to read.
And I really should stop feeling sorry for myself now and then.
xx

Cool you validation word is winges

- said...

You just made my day. Thank you :)

ladytruth said...

Oscar has been in every and all local and national magazines and newspapers and yet manages to stay humble. We love that man and he's a true ambassador for South Africa. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend which is not running anywhere other than the aisle any time soon ;)

Tara said...

Thanks so much for posting this. Beautiful. Make my heart feel good.

Alyssa said...

Such an inspirational post! That's so touching! Left you something on my blog!

Tracie said...

A beautiful, touching story.

Emily said...

OH, that is so sweet and inspiring. What an uplifting story!

Jen said...

this is truly amazing!

Southern Champagne Wishes said...

What a great story he has and how wonderful that he takes time to spend with kids like Ellie. I am amazed at the advancements in science and the people who continue to come up with new ways to improve the lives of others.

This brought tears to my eyes and reminded me once again to be thankful for all that I take for granted.

Debbie said...

That is amazing. Thank you for telling us about them.

Life Laugh Latte said...

What a moving post! LOVE stories like this. Thanks for coming by and visiting us. Always love the company. I love coming to yours. Have a great day...Holly at lifelaughlatte.blogspot.com

Alicia said...

oh i just love this!! seriously!! that little girl just stole my heart. fantastic post my dear! fan-frackin-tastic.

E @ Scottsville said...

Wow, what an inspiration.

At my son's last football game on Friday night, the other team's "CENTER" had a prosthetic leg. He even KICKED with it. It was pretty amazing to watch him play. Oh how proud his mom must have been!!!!

A New England Girl said...

I have read quite a bit about him and I have always been so floored by the accomplishments he has seen in his young life. What a great role model! I adore the photo of him with that beautiful little girl... what a touching and uplifting story. :)

brokenteepee said...

What ellen abbot said.....

Jen said...

That is so cool. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing that.

Unknown said...

Great post...I needed some good news to smile about!!

Heather@WHMB said...

BRAVO!!!!!

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

JennyMac, thanks for sharing such a meaningful and beautiful story!

Jen said...

I read stories like this and then think about my own mundane challenges each day. I wonder if I would handle that type of adversity with such grace. Go Ellie!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh, wow! I need a tissue!

Conquer The Monkey said...

Very inspirations, thanks for posting!
Cameron from
Conquer The Monkey

La Belle Mere said...

Awesome!!

Very moving, inspiring and humbling.

LBM xxx

JenJen said...

Thank you for sharing this story.
Darn.

Lawyer Mom said...

That was marvelous. I only thought I'd had a bad day.

said...

Talk about a role model! Wow. Good stuff. :o)

p.s. Thanks so much for stopping by on my SITS day!

Just Add Walter said...

that picture makes me want to cry... how sweet

J.J. in L.A. said...

That picture is soooo cute! And thank you for this! The only difference between a disabled person and a non-disabled person is happenstance.

tiburon said...

That is just the coolest! Thanks for sharing :)

Erin Bassett said...

How inspiring! Love that photo of him & Ellie...it should be a poster.

(Stopping by from SITS)

Melanie @ Whimsical Creations said...

Such an inspiring story!

mCat said...

I had no idea, and I love the story. Yeah, okay so I teared up. What of it?

jules said...

What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing. The picture with Ellie is such a beautiful thing!

Liz Aguerre said...

Thank you for sharing something positive and uplifting and inspiring.

Anonymous said...

Now if we could only get the world to see these people as celebrities...we'd have it made!!!

Little Ms Blogger said...

Thank you for sharing this with us. It's always good to pause and remember what I have and that I shouldn't let things stand in my way.

Slamdunk said...

A+ with the inspirational post--thanks for telling this story.

Tam and John said...

Beautiful story! Puts a lot in perspective, doesn't it?

Green-Eyed Momster said...

Very inspiring and humbling story. Thanks for sharing this story, JennyMac. I didn't know about these two wonderful people until today.

Hugs!!

Cocaine Princess said...

Wow. Truly INSPIRING!!!!

Amanda (Small Acorns) said...

Wow! Makes me want to cheer! So lovely.

MommaKiss said...

The Boston Marathon runs thru our town. I took my then 3 yr old and 1 yr old boys to watch...as the men and women w/ these legs came through, I heard my oldest say "why are his legs like that?" On the fly - I said, "well his legs don't work, so he got Robot Legs to help him run super fast!"

Kid was in awe. And thought it was the coolest thing. And he wanted his own.

Judith Mercado said...

I hope that if Oscar and Ellie ever have a low moment, they can find this page and see how they've moved and inspired others. Thank you, JennyMac, for bringing this to my attention.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice said...

what a great post! So neat