No. 320 - Aimee Mullins

This morning I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. That place was in my truck listening to PRX Public Radio. I tuned in just in time for the beginning of a TED Talk, briefly mentioned in Post No. 271. I was captivated by each word I heard. The person speaking was disabled, at least in the sense that others might label her disabled, in that she doesn't have any lower legs. But that certainly hasn't slowed her down one bit. Simply an amazing story. I encourage you to stop reading this and watch this ten-minute video.

I learned that Aimee Mullins was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania just about an hour from the town where I was born. She is an athlete, actress, and fashion model best known for her collegiate-level athletic accomplishments, despite a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of both of her legs when she was a year old.

In 1999, Aimee appeared as a runway model on a pair of hand-carved wooden prosthetic legs made from solid ash. She is able to change her height between 5'8" and 6'1" by changing her legs, as she mentions in the TED video. Aimee has been named one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine.