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This was the case for young Emily Gray who was a mere eleven years old when she was faced with a challenge that would define her for the rest of her life.
Emily experienced a normal healthy childhood surrounded by a loving supportive family. She excelled at sports in school, where she discovered her passion for middle-distance running.
Her love for running came to an end when her and her parents were informed that she had Osteosarcoma, a dangerous form of cancer in her femur.
At the age of eleven, Emily’s survival depended on a decision which she personally made to have her leg amputated. A massively brave and important decision for one so young.
At the age of 23, Emily is an accomplished Springbok swimmer and two-time South African Paralympian who believes that the hardship that she faced when she was younger was part of a bigger plan for her.
Emily is the epitome of brave and she is the perfect example of someone who was faced with a difficult situation but chose to overcome it with a positive outlook. Emily shares five important acts of being brave that helped her and continue to help her when confronted with challenges.
Perseverance
"I
think that this is one of the hardest tasks to tackle, because giving up is
much easier than pushing on," says Emily. "Motivating yourself to fight
through the challenge is tricky but you have to believe in yourself and
convince yourself that you can do it which is something that you have to
consciously and constantly work at."
Acceptance and understanding
Emily
explains that the key to being brave is to accept the challenge that has been
afforded to you. "Questioning and analysing why you are being faced with
a hardship often deters you from accepting and dealing with it, so it is
important to come to terms with it," says Emily.
"Understand that there
is a reason that you have been met with this challenge and that it is part of a
greater picture."
Asking for help
Often when
people are going through difficulties they try tackle it by themselves but
Emily enforces that you should not be afraid to ask for help.
"Although
you may be strong enough to face your circumstances without the help of others,
you should not feel that you have to face them alone," Emily explains.
"I
was very fortunate and blessed to have the support of my family and the love
that they offered was tremendous and was integral in making me realise that
this was not a battle that I had to fight alone."
Believe
in a greater cause
"Although
it is difficult to accept or understand, facing a trying encounter is your
destiny and it is part of your journey," Emily explains. "Looking back
now, I would not change what I have been through, it was hard but it has made
me the person that I am today and I have absolutely no regrets.
"If I
hadn’t been through my ordeal, I probably would not be the person that I am
today and I probably would not have achieved what I have and so I am grateful
because I feel that it forced me to overcome many other obstacles in my life."
Move
forward
"The best advice that I can
give you is to move on and keeping looking forward," Emily explains. "Don’t indulge in self-pity, accept what has been and commit to get over it."
"Never
forget that there are people that are worse off than you and that everyone has
their own struggles to face. Sometimes witnessing others overcome hard
situations and circumstances pushes you to be brave," Emily concludes.
Read Emily's full story.
You can also follow Emily on Twitter and like her Facebook page.
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