Translate   12 years ago

LOCKTON COMPANIES, INC. COURAGE AWARD At just 13, 4ftBloggr has overcome more obstacles than many encounter in a #lifetime. And she's still smiling. As a second generation Chernobyl child, 4ftBloggr was born with significant physical deformities to each of her extremities and spent her first five years lying in a Belarus orphanage. A true miracle, doctors don't even know how she walks … but she does that and more. Adopted by an American family in 1999, 4ftBloggr didn’t take long to put her mark on the U.S. Attending her brother's soccer games, she wasn’t content to sit in the stands. She continually told her parents about her dream: to play soccer, wear soccer shoes, and hear everyone cheering for her on the sidelines: Impossible? Not to 4ftBloggr. Over time, her legs became stronger, and with the encouragement of a neighbor — who just happened to be a Special Olympics Coach — she signed up for Special Olympics soccer. There’s been no turning back since. 4ftBloggr also participated in cheerleading, swimming, bowling, and even tackled the Polar Bear Plunge, a Special Olympics fundraiser that entails bravely diving into a frozen lake. With a sparkle in her eye and a magnetic smile, 4ftBloggr inspires others to be all they can be. “Love yourself and quit complaining about the body you don’t have,” she says. “Accept what you do have. Don’t try to be something you’re not.” With that in mind, 4ftBloggr now has the soccer shoes … and an entire cheering squad behind her. “I felt like a normal kid when I first got on that soccer field. I still do.”

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