Real Story | Inspiration | Wonder woman
From Half-Basketball Girl to the Queen Mermaid in the Ocean of Life
The exceptional story of Qian Hongyan shows resilience, courage, dedication, and never-say-never attitude
Imagine that tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you find that your lower body has magically turned into a half-basketball.
You have no legs; all you have is a half basketball for legs. You cannot walk, cannot run, cannot go up the stairs, cannot ride a bicycle, cannot reach yourself to pick a book, and cannot sit on a chair to write a story, or cannot get in bed again, once you get out of it.
Perhaps all you can do is spin like a top or bounce off a little. No more shoes, no more stilettos, no more socks, and no more pants.
Your entire height drops from six feet to three feet. So is your life, your dreams, and your career. You wonder what good will come out of you. You feel like a double-headed alien.
What a nightmare! Many of you are even feeling frustrated and disgusted thinking about the whole scenario. Some have already checked their legs twice to see if they are alright.
“Who knows, this writer might have been putting a spell on us all with his words!”
Of course, I am not. But one thing is certain: from now on, you will look at a basketball differently.
What if I say this scenario didn’t come from my imagination or a new Marvel cinematic universe plot, but it was as real as daylight?
It came from a poor grandfather’s creative and innovative imagination, with all the best intentions for his little granddaughter.
“Everyone falls, the only difference is champions get up.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
When I got to know about Qian Hongyan from Yunnan, southwest China, for the first time, it felt so unreal. And soon, it filled my heart and mind with immense admiration, empathy, compassion, motivation, and inspiration.
I am going to tell the story of this wonder girl, the survivor, and the champion.
When Qian was only four years old, she had a serious car accident that nearly took her life. This unfortunate incident led to the complete amputation of her legs. Just imagine losing both of your legs at only four years of age. They vanished into thin air, just like in a fairy tale.
She had the misfortune to face the harsh realities of life at the age of laughing and listening to fairy tales.
Qian was from a deprived family. They couldn’t afford costly prosthetic legs. But Qian’s grandfather had other ideas. He knew that basketballs are very durable and resistant to regular abrasion, wear, and tear.
So, he cut a basketball in half so that she could fit in the bowl and get around. He also made two wooden plank handles to support her arms.
Incredible ingenuity! Necessity is the mother of invention.
Thanks to this basketball, it reduced the earlier struggles of Qian to an extent. Now she could try to live a normal life.
She could play with her friends, go to school, and even help out with household chores. Many locals started to call her ‘Basketball Girl’.
“Champions, like seeds, only gain strength when you bury them.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
This girl lost both of her legs but never gave up her hopes.
However, many friends and relatives remained deeply saddened by her condition, believing that she would have to spend the rest of her life in a basketball.
After five years of living in a basketball, her story finally got picked up by the Chinese and international media.
It became a topic of conversation in China, a country where discussing disability was uncommon. It also became a turning point in Qian’s life.
People felt sympathy for Qian. They came forward to help her. They all decided to raise funds to purchase her prosthetic legs. She traveled to Beijing.
Eventually, she walked with her new artificial legs. With donations, she attended and completed primary school. As she grew older, she was gradually fitted with bigger limbs.
Despite all the media attention, Qian’s education was stopped at the age of 11, as her schooling donations ran out. As a result, she returned to her family in Yunnan.
Later, Qian joined a local swimming club for the disabled, ‘South of the Cloud’, one of the first of its kind in China.
“I had to give much more than other kids when I learned to swim. It seemed there was no way I could float in the water. I was choked.”
She told a daily newspaper in 2011.
At first, she found it very difficult, but she trained hard and eventually learned to swim well.
“I used to envy my classmates a lot. They always went home jumping and running after school, but I could not do that. But when I am in the water, I am the same as them, and this is why I love swimming.”
Soon, she started training four hours a day at the club to participate in Paralympic games. As a result of her hard work, she went on to win gold and silver medals at the 2011 Chinese National Paralympic Swimming Competition.
Within a span of a year, she won a total of four gold and five silver medals in swimming.
Qian’s grandfather died just ahead of the Paralympic qualifiers.
Although she received a bronze in the qualifiers, she could not secure a place in the team. Nevertheless, her brothers welcomed her like a hero.
“Throw a champion into the ocean, and he’ll swim.
Throw a champion into the pit, and he’ll climb.
Throw him off a cliff, and he’ll grow wings.
Throw him into a furnace, and he’ll become gold.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
Despite that setback, she continued training harder. She received adult prosthetics in 2015, and her progress was highlighted in the national media as well as on social media many times.
Next year, she qualified and participated in the Rio Paralympics. She finished in ninth place overall in the 100-meter breast style.
Since that year, Qian has preferred to be more independent, despite all the generous offers of help. She kept training hard to improve her speed and agility.
When she’s not swimming, Qian works at a desk job in Yunnan.
In the past, people mocked the disabled. Many viewed them as beggars asking for money. However, the drive of disabled swimmers such as Qian has changed that perception. That’s a wonderful start.
Many people would simply give up if they would have lost both of their legs, but this warrior girl adapted and overcame everything through her strong will power, and hard work.
She went past the immense struggles of survival and surprised us all by competing at the international level. That’s no ordinary accomplishment. She deserves all our respect, admiration, and best wishes.
The real win is not in defeating the other players, It is in defeating that voice within us which calls us a loser everyday. We have to win from that inner voice. Then we will be the real champions.
Sometimes it feels like, the society needs some people to feel sorry about and to show how noble it is. It conveniently ignores the courage and fighting spirit of a disabled person. It never spares a moment to constantly remind the disabled that it is doing so much for them despite they are being so incompetent.
In reality, they are also regular people. Their ambitions are regular. Their dreams are regular. Their courage is regular. Their passion and enthusiasm are regular.
What is not regular are the eyes of the society.
For me, she is the real Wonder Woman.
“Like an Eagle I Soar unrestricted,
High above the opinions and gossip of the herd
Attentive in Every Moment
Ready to dive into every enriching opportunity
I am Fearless, I am a Powerhouse, I am a Champion”
― Rhys Blanco
Thanks for reading.🙂
This story is written in response to the lovely invite from Mil. The power of human spirit against all odds is so amazing. Feeling inspired. Thank you.
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