The "Basketball Girl" Who Lost Her Legs at 4 Is Now 28, Beautiful as a Flower, and Works as a Civil Servant

The "Basketball Girl" Who Lost Her Legs at 4 Is Now 28, Beautiful as a Flower, and Works as a Civil Servant

She lost her legs at the age of four due to an accident, and since then, she has relied on an old basketball for mobility - using her hands to walk, the basketball provides cushioning so that her body does not have to directly contact the ground. She is known as the "Basketball Girl."

For people with disabilities, disabilities caused by later events are often more painful than congenital disabilities because they have experienced the feeling of once having it and must accept the reality of physical defects.

Facing this pain, the "Basketball Girl" did not give up on herself. She still faces life with strength and lives with a positive and optimistic attitude. What kind of life does the now 28-year-old her live?

In October 2023, Hangzhou hosted the 4th Asian Para Games. During the preliminary stage of the women's 100m breaststroke SB6 event, a girl without legs arrived at the venue in a wheelchair.

Without legs, her 100m breaststroke time was 2 minutes and 01.05 seconds, which was already a good result, but she still failed to advance to the finals and was eliminated in the preliminaries.

Although she did not make it to the finals, many spectators at the scene were enthusiastically shouting "Zheng Hongyan," her name, and the audience was supporting her in this way.

This swimming athlete with a disability named Zheng Hongyan is the "Basketball Girl" reported by the media back then. Despite her physical defects, she has become a swimming champion.

And this is not her first time participating in a competition. Although she did not achieve great results at the Asian Para Games, she has won many championships in previous competitions.

At the Paralympics, what is most important is not the results, but these physically challenged individuals' dedication to sports events. This spirit is the most important, and Zheng Hongyan clearly possesses this spirit of striving.

In fact, many netizens' impressions of Zheng Hongyan only stay with her childhood image of "walking" with a basketball. After becoming disabled, how did she overcome the gloom and become a swimmer?

Life's Unexpected Events

Qian Hongyan was born in 1996. Her parents are ordinary farmers, and there is nothing special about their family. However, her parents love Qian Hongyan very much and do not neglect her just because she is a girl.

When Qian Hongyan was four years old, she played with other children in the village by the roadside. The children who were focused on playing did not notice a large truck coming by the side of the road.

During play, Qian Hongyan's shoes fell on the road. When she went back to pick them up, she was in the blind spot of the truck, coupled with the very fast speed, the driver did not notice this little girl, and young Qian Hongyan was thus caught under the car.

After the car accident, Qian Hongyan was sent to the hospital in the first place. Although she managed to save her life, her lower body was severely crushed by the car, and the bones had already died, so amputation surgery had to be performed.

If amputated, her life could still be saved; if not amputated, it might lead to further infection and endanger her health. Her parents could only shed tears and agree to the surgery.

When Zheng Hongyan woke up from a coma, the amputation surgery had already been completed. Although still a child, Zheng Hongyan also realized that she had permanently lost her legs.

Due to financial difficulties, although her parents felt sorry for Zheng Hongyan, they really had no money to get her a prosthetic leg. For a period after the car accident, Zheng Hongyan could only lie in bed every day, feeling depressed.

The best way to relieve sorrow is to let Zheng Hongyan go out and interact more with friends. To this end, her grandfather came up with an idea, stuffing cotton into an old basketball and putting it under her body, and giving her two boards in her hands to move with her hands, with the basketball protecting her body.

After her grandfather's "transformation," Zheng Hongyan could go out on her own, obviously becoming more optimistic and able to continue to mingle with peers of the same age.

Zheng Hongyan's optimistic spirit also attracted more attention. After the media specially reported on her, Zheng Hongyan became the "Basketball Girl."

With the help of caring people, Zheng Hongyan successfully underwent rehabilitation treatment and also got a prosthetic leg.

However, compared to the prosthetic leg, Zheng Hongyan still prefers to use the old basketball made by her grandfather. The basketballs she used until they could no longer be used were not thrown away but kept at home.

Swimming Champion

Zhang Honghu is a swimming coach for the disabled, with a keen eye for talent, discovering many athletes with disabilities. In 2007, he saw Qian Hongyan's potential, and under Zhang Honghu's encouragement, 11-year-old Qian Hongyan became a professional swimmer.

For those who have never swum before, getting into the water can be scary, and for Qian Hongyan, who has lost her legs, this fear is even greater because without legs, it is difficult to maintain balance in the water.

But Qian Hongyan overcame this fear and trained for several hours every day. When not in the water, she didn't idle around, doing exercises like parallel bars that can improve arm strength.

On the surface, Qian Hongyan appears to be an optimistic and cheerful girl, but even the strongest person will inevitably have moments of vulnerability. Sometimes Qian Hongyan would secretly cry due to too much pressure, but after crying, she would wipe away her tears and continue to train. Since she had set a goal in life, she had to do it well.

Effort will be rewarded. Over the years as a swimmer, she has achieved many good results, including championship gold medals, making her an outstanding swimmer.

Now 28 years old, this age is actually not young for an athlete, but she still persists in the arena, and swimming is her beloved career.

In addition to being a swimming athlete for the disabled, Zheng Hongyan actually has another identity. In 2017, she became a civil servant and went to work at the Luliang County Disabled Persons' Federation.

This job allows her to help more disabled people cheer up and encourage them to bravely face life's challenges with her own life story.

"Plum Blossoms Come from Bitter Cold," after experiencing trials and tribulations, Zheng Hongyan has grown into an excellent person. The beautiful and generous she now has enough courage to face future challenges.

What different thoughts do you have about Zheng Hongyan's experience? You can leave your opinions and ideas in the comment section and engage in friendly exchanges and discussions with others.

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References:

Beijing News, October 28, 2023, "The 'Basketball Girl' Qian Hongyan, Who Lost Her Legs: 23 Years Later, Swims into the Asian Para Games"

The Paper, October 13, 2023, "The 'Basketball Girl' Who Moved Countless People Will Participate in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games"

Ji Mu News, April 15, 2023, "22 Years Ago, How Is the 'Basketball Girl' Who Moved Countless People Doing Now?"