Figure Skater Kristi Yamaguchi - inspiring to say the least!

Sometimes, I run across a story about someone famous, and I think, "How did I not know that!?" I thought that exact thing when I read the wonderful article about Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skater, in a recent issue of Guideposts Magazine. The story itself is a great account of how she overcame her fear of speaking in public, but the paragraph that blew me away is the fact that she was born with club feet! In fact, she was in plastic casts for the first 18 months of her life, and then wore special corrective shoes that were connected with a metal bar. Can you believe that same little girl went on to perform in one of the most elegant and graceful sports, supported by those very same feet? How amazing is that?

It's snippets like this that remind me, no matter what hand we're dealt, we are capable of accomplishing just about anything we put our minds to. I know that life with a chronic illness seems to be too much to bear sometimes. I realize that a disease like lupus causes sidesteps, missteps, and steps backward. But despite how tough the road may seem, we can still make progress. We can still improve our life with lupus, make things happen, be fulfilled, and feel accomplished. Let the fact that Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion Kristi Yamaguchi didn't let her obstacles deter her from striving to reach her goals!

Here's the story - enjoy!