My Life Without A Limb

Today I received an e-mail from my loving mother containing a youtube link. Recently I was laid off by my place of employment due to medical complications and I figured as her youngest daughter, she wanted to brighten my day. Because of my layoff I’ve been stressed out and worried about my future as well as my health. What my mother didn’t know was that lately I’ve passed or deleted personal/forwarded e-mails to read only potential work correspondences. However for some reason I felt compelled to view the video.

Clueless as to what or whom this was about, I sighed and prepared to be entertained for a few minutes. Then, I clicked on the link. To my surprise it was the face of a gorgeous guy who began to tell the story of his life without limbs. Being an amputee myself I was immediately engrossed by your story and realized why my mother sent you to me. She knew I needed inspiration and faith.

Born missing my right femur bone I had my leg amputated at the age of 3. I am now 34 and I often struggle with the question of why? Why was ‘I’ born this way? Why didn’t GOD make me with two good legs? Why me? WHY?

Like you I went through very hard times. In the summer of 1988 I was 13 and recuperating from one of my then, more than 16 surgeries on my leg. I was walking down the street on my crutches when some boys started making fun of me calling me peg leg and gimpy limpy. A stranger a few years older than me came to my rescue and put an end to the harassment. We quickly became good friends. But as summer turned to fall my new friend and his family moved across the country to Oregon and we lost touch with one another. Oddly enough though our paths crossed again 5 years ago and June 9th 2009 marked our 2 year wedding anniversary.

Happily married I still struggle with the question of why? My husband, currently a non church going Baptist, and extremely spiritual man, has often explained to me why GOD chose me. He has preached and quoted the Bible hundreds of times but what does someone who has no physical deformities really understand or know? Apparently a LOT! Yet it took a complete stranger in a video, a man I have never met or even knew of before today for me to understand why GOD made me the way he did. And, for that I thank you with all of my heart. I now believe that I, like you, are God’s chosen ones. You are a true inspiration. One day I hope I'll have the honor of meeting you in person to wrap my arms around, hug and thank for helping me open my eyes to see the light.


(by: Katie)


back to the list of true stories