Aimee Mullins 1: Changing my legs-and my mindset

                      

TED 1998

Aimee Mullins 1: Changing my legs-and my mindset (transcript)

Summary

After all, there are many things I don't know about her legs, thoughts and herself. She is a double amputee, she was born without fibulas in both legs and she was amputated at age one. I didn't know about the word “amputee” which means a person who has had a limb or body part surgically removed. However, she has been running all over the place. Surprisingly, she also ran in the Olympics, in Atlanta and won everything.

So her life started changing when she didn't know about track and field of a disabled level though she tried it.

In fact, other participants were wearing legs made of better materials. She felt that she was not going to win this race. Although she has always competed against other able-bodied athletes, this and what she won before were not related from now.

It was a better thing that her coach never coached a disabled athlete.

On this TED stage, she shows us various legs one by one joyfully. In the past, she only knew that the uncomfortable legs made of a wood and plastic compound though there has been an artificial leg made of carbon graphite to win races. She seemed to be allowed to experimentally use new legs. And then, those are not only the sprint legs but also the pretty legs made of silicon which you can be feminine and wear a two-inch heel. You can pick up what shoes and skirts you want if you use a prosthetic limb. She said that this is beautiful enough to be known by many people.

Many people are cooperating with her. So we are the same. It's important not only to focus on a goal but also to recognize the progression on the way there. You have to be continuingly growing as a person and feel it. This is the achievement she thinks.