This “Basketball Girl’s” story will make you feel ashamed of yourself

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:54 pm

Oftentimes, we find ourselves blaming life for many of our failures and misfortune. If we cannot find the perfect job, it is because life is such a bitch. If we fail to make more money, it is because life is unfair. If we fail to get promoted, it is because life is not helping us. We blame life or other people (except ourselves) whenever something goes wrong in our lives. How can we then improve ourselves if we are busy pointing fingers at others instead of reflecting on ourselves?

It is very normal for us to feel hopeless and thinks that life is too hard a challenge for us to cope. It is not easy to live a decent life, let alone a good life. However, most of us have all that we need–a roof over our heads, a decent job and most importantly, we have our body and our limbs. We take all these for granted and think that life owe us something more. How about those who do not have what we have? What would they have to say to life then?

Listen to the story of China’s Basketball Girl. This story will inspire you and make you feel ashamed that you have ever complained about life.

Meet Qian Hongyan, a 20 year old girl who had taken the Internet by storm when her moving story of being China’s Basketball Girl was shared on social media in 2005. Hongyan was injured in an accident when she was 4 years old and had to amputate both her legs. Her family was poor and could not afford the heavy medical fees to provide her with prosthetic legs. The family was forced to improvise.

Hongyan was given a basketball cut into half to help her to balance. The little girl then moved around with her hands holding onto 2 pieces of wood. She was then known as the basketball girl by the locals because of her unusual circumstances.

In 2005, her story was shared to the world through social media and she took the Internet by storm. The empathy showered upon her by netizens and the China press gave her the chance to receive free artificial limbs from China Rehabilitation Centre in Beijing.

In 2007, she received a new pair of limbs. Her family could not provide her with more treatment then and she did not want to continue to depend on charity. She took what she have and she decided to make the best use out of it.

At age 12, she joined a local swimming club for the disabled funded by the Yunnan Provincial Federation of the Disabled. At the beginning, Hongyan found it hard to keep afloat. She kept sinking and choking on the water. She did not give up. She continued to practise and finally managed to make herself float.

Despite all the difficulties, Hongyan did not let her disability destroy her dreams of becoming a successful athlete. In 2013, Hongyan received a new pair of prosthetic legs when she turned 18. Her situation made her a celebrity in China and her story has inspired many others.

Today, she manages with what she has and continues to fight for her dream of competing in the Paralympic Games in the future by training 4 hours a day.

Are you inspired by Hongyan? She has proved that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. Be happy with what you have. It is life’s blessing for you, not a curse. If life is a bitch right now, let go of your expectations and just keep on going. Nothing will stop you in achieving your dreams as long as you believe in yourself and keep on at it.