Miscellaneous Musings | He without leg, She without arm

There is a common misconception that strength is measured by the amount of physical power an individual possesses. But there are instances where people find strength within themselves to overcome difficult decisions and face equally difficult situations. Here is an inspirational story of two individuals who did what many had said was the impossible by conquering their own fears, inhibitions and most of all, self-doubt. 

Let me introduce Ma Li, a beautiful and promising professional ballerina. At the age of 19, she lost her right arm in a car accident. As a result, her self-esteem shattered and her –obviously shallow- boyfriend left her, which prompted Ma Li to give up her passion for dance. At one point she even tried killing herself, only to be saved by her parents. After that, despite her own feelings of hopelessness, the love she had for her parents gave her the strength to carry on living.

Five years later in 2001, she was invited to compete at the 5th national special performing art competition for handicaps and won the gold medal. That success gave her the hope to return to her beloved stage.

In 2005, she met a 21-year-old man, Zhai Xiaowei who had lost his left leg (after falling off a tractor when he was only 4). Like Ma Li had been, he doubted that he would be able to overcome his disability. But after some persuasion, he agreed to give it a try. Together the duo practiced intensively for more than a year, starting at 8am everyday and ending at 11pm. One would not be able to imagine the kind of challenges and difficulties they faced. He lacked the basic dance background and she was a perfectionist. The contrast between their abilities frequently led to disputes. They would even go as far as to abandon the project altogether (for a while at least).

In April, they had perfected their routine and, from a sample of 7000 other competitors, were selected as finalists in the 4th CCTV national dance competition. It was the first time a handicapped couple ever entered the competition. They performed their routine, aptly named “Hand in Hand”. The audience was moved to tears by their display of hope, endurance and inner strength. 

The pair won the Silver medal with the 99.17 high score and not to mention the highest audience popular votes. They became an instant national hit.

So if you catch anyone saying “I can’t”, show them this video.