The story of little girl Tien Hong Diem (1996), from Luc Luong district, Yunnan province, southwest China has brought countless tears to readers near and far. In 2000, after a terrible car accident, the basketball girl lost her legs forever, and her poor family also struggled, completely devastated by the disaster that suddenly befell their young daughter. 4 years old.
“Woke up, I remember feeling my feet were very cold. I called my mother and asked her to put on my shoes. But she didn’t say anything. I only saw her tears falling and perhaps that was a moment I will never forget, nor That’s when I knew that in this life I had lost half of my body, from now on I would no longer have to wear socks, shoes or even pants,” Tien Hong Diem reviewed the sad memories of that year.
Because the family was too poor and could not afford to fit Hong Diem with a prosthetic leg, her grandfather cut a basketball and put his granddaughter in it, giving her two pieces of wood with handles, so she could Can move independently without the help of others. The ball helps Tien Hong Diem maintain balance and is a fulcrum to rest when tired. Every day, Tien Hong Diem walks to school. The school is only 7 minutes from home but it takes the little girl nearly 1 hour. Over the next 5 years, she changed up to 8 basketballs.
In 2005, the image of a 9-year-old girl skillfully moving on a basketball spread everywhere and her unfortunate story also reached the ears of many people, making them both pity and admire her determination. The extraordinary of a small girl who is stronger than anyone.
Luckily, this popularity is also an opportunity to help her get closer to sponsors across the country who can help her situation. In 2007, Tien Hong Diem was sponsored to go to Beijing to get a prosthetic leg, something that had previously only appeared in their family’s dreams. And those first steps on those prosthetic legs also led Hong Diem to a journey that dramatically changed her fate in the years to come.
Through relentless training, Tien Hong Diem became a potential swimmer and a bright star representing China in sports competitions for people with disabilities. Tien Hong Diem’s extraordinary efforts to overcome her fate made many people admire and admire.
After 20 years of persistent efforts and reaping many prestigious awards in swimming, in 2019, the “basketball girl” retired and kept her dream of becoming a coach to help many athletes with disabilities. other disabilities.
