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You have accomplished so many
things in your life, what or who inspires
you to succeed ?
My mother always said, "Do your own
thing-but do it well!" She didn't always
have shoes on her feet growing up in the
ghetto in New York, but she inspired
herself with poetry from Poe, Dickens and
Longfellow. She put herself through
college, went on to earn her Ph.D, and has
profoundly influenced many lives in her 30
years as an educator. She pulled herself
up by her bootstraps and expected the same
from her kids.
You have been an amputee for the
majority of your life, how has your limb
loss effected your desire to accomplish
?
Being an amputee makes me more able to
adapt. You never take it for granted that
you can walk, get into a shower or run
into the ocean. You always have to figure
things out first. Companies need people
who can adapt & solve their own
problems.
You come across as a "glass half
full" kinda person. Do you ever see the
glass as half empty ?
When you start out life black, female,
low-income, & sexually abused, then
you have your leg cut off, life seems like
its always hard. Anytime any little good
thing happens to me, my glass
overflows!!
Over the last twenty years you
must have come across numerous
"naysayers", people that have said "no"
you can't do this. How do you deal with
those people ?
Don't listen. don't pour energy into
the nay-sayers. seek out & listen to
the people who encourage you. It's like
tuning into a different station.
To many amputee's you probably
look like an over-achiever, how do you
address the issue of over-achieving due to
limb loss ?
Sure, I'm an achievement junkie. I
didn't stop after the Olympics or degrees
or anything. You don't stop seeking
external self-esteem until you grow
inside. Currently I am healing from
childhood sexual abuse. It is a painful
process, but I am letting go of low
self-esteem.
On a more personal note, have you
had time for a family yet ? (If not) Is
this in the works ?
My husband of almost ten years, Grant
Deane, is one of my greatest role models
and friends. He is a physicist at UCSD and
a New Zealander. Our daughter, Darcy, is
four years old going on 25! She puts joy
in our lives by reminding us to laugh more
often, to hold hands, and to go out and
play.
You have an incredible set of
accomplishments, is there anything you
have yet to set your sights on for the
future - first amputee President of the US
maybe or first amp astronaut ? Do you have
an end goal that once you accomplish it,
you will say I'm happy with this, time to
take a rest.
I am the first African-American to win
Olympic medals for skiing. I have worked
in the White House, written a book, and
traveled the world. I was particularly
honored as an amputee to be asked to host
the first "cool" exercise video for
amputees.
You fit the minority bill in
numerous ways, gender, race and
disability. Do you think the various
incentives for gender, race and disability
have worked in your favour ? Do you think
you could have accomplished what you have
say 30 or even 20 years ago ?
20-30 years ago it would have been
difficult to become a world class athlete
with any one of my traits (black, female,
amputee) never mind all three. My story is
uniquely American. In Japan or England for
example, my life would be very different.
I'm glad to be American.
What do you see in the future for
people with limb loss across North America
and the world.
Anything anyone else can dream we can
dream and we can accomplish because we are
adaptable & perseverant!
What are your views on: a. limb
reattachment, b. osseintegration, c. the
rate of technological development in
prosthetics
a) The thought of other people's legs
on my body makes me feel queasy!
b)??
c) Technical advancement is way ahead
of the insurance company's willingness to
pay.
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