Qian Hongyan was only four years old that year, and she was still a little girl who had just bloomed. She has beautiful black hair, a pair of big lively and active eyes, like a little elf, always bright.
However, after she and her friends frolicked to their heart's content that day, dark clouds suddenly fell in the sky. Accidentally, Qian Hongyan's shoes fell in the middle of the road.
The little girl ran to pick up her shoes, but she didn't want the speeding truck to fail to brake and knock her to the ground.
After a loud "boom", the scene was silent. The pain reached its peak at this moment, and Qian Hongyan looked down in horror, only to see that her legs below the pelvis had been completely deformed and unrecognizable.
Blood pooled on the ground, and she couldn't make a sound.
The doctor fought hard during the rescue process, but unfortunately there was no way to recover after all. Qian Hongyan, who was young, became a disabled person in a hospital bed. When she opened her hazy eyes, all she saw was a sigh or a sad face.
For a four-year-old, the mental blow is far worse than the physical pain. Qian Hongyan's whole person fell into the trough of confusion and despair, she looked blankly at the normal world outside the window, and her heart was like a knife.
The sound of footsteps outside the door frightened her, fearing that it was her classmates who had come to ridicule her weakness.
At this moment, it is difficult for us to imagine that a lively little girl will overturn the world in an instant and her fate will change suddenly. The bright future she could have had was also wiped out with that loud bang.
The trauma caused by the car accident was deep in Qian Hongyan's heart, and her world suddenly disappeared. It was so cruel for a four-year-old that she sat in bed all day, staring out the window with empty eyes, never seeing a trace of life in sight.
Parents and grandfathers saw it in their eyes and felt pain in their hearts. They tried various methods, hoping to get Qian Hongyan back on her feet. At first, the use of tires and wooden planks did not work, until one day, Grandpa brought back a worn-out basketball from the market.
With an idea, he cut the basketball and installed it on Qian Hongyan's mutilated leg as a prosthetic leg.
This simple basketball prosthetic finally gave Qian Hongyan hope to see the light of day again. She staggered to her feet and took her first steps in life out the door. The sun warmed her cold body, the first warmth she felt since her misfortune.
In order to go to school, Qian Hongyan could only rely on her hands to support the plank. Blood blisters soon appeared on his hands, and the pain was unbearable. The strange eyes of her classmates made her feel hurt again.
But Qian Hongyan didn't back down, because she understood that this was the only way to a new life.
Fortunately, the media reported on Qian Hongyan's experience and hard support. This has attracted the attention of all walks of life. In 2005, the Ministry of Public Security funded her with 100,000 yuan to receive treatment at the China Rehabilitation Research Center.
What's even more valuable is that she finally got a prosthetic leg that suits her. When Qian Hongyan used her prosthesis to stand firmly for the first time, she was so excited that she burst into tears. This is undoubtedly God's favor for her, allowing her to be reborn once.
After fitting a prosthetic, Qian Hongyan finally regained hope in life. One day in 2007, at the age of 11, she went to Kunming with the chairman of the Disabled Persons' Federation and watched a paralympic sports meeting on the spot.
When she saw those disabled athletes struggling on the field, a fire ignited deep in her heart.
At the scene, Qian Hongyan met Zhang Honghu, coach of the national paralympic swimming team. After learning that Qian Hongyan had the desire to learn Xi swimming, Coach Zhang did not hesitate to take her to join his newly established Yunnan first swimming club for the disabled.
At first, Qian Hongyan suffered repeated setbacks in training. Her body swayed from side to side, moving very slowly. But she was not discouraged and went the extra mile to devote herself to high-intensity physical training.
She swims 10,000 meters a day and completes hundreds of sit-ups and push-ups. Sweat and tears melted together, and Qian Hongyan felt that she was one step closer to her dream.
With the help of coaches and players, Qian Hongyan's swimming level is growing day by day. In the 2009 Paralympic Games at all levels, she won many gold medals.
The joy of winning the championship again and again proves that her dedication and persistence are worth it. Sports gave Qian Hongyan new motivation and lit up the most beautiful colors in her life.
Under the experience of the Yunnan Para Swimming Team, Qian Hongyan gradually grew into an outstanding athlete. She has represented the Yunnan team and the national team, participated in a number of national and international para swimming competitions, and has repeatedly won good results.
Her teammates affectionately called her "Flying Fish in the Water", because as soon as Qian Hongyan jumped into the water, she was like a loose arrow, quickly cutting through the water and rushing forward. She sweated to her heart's content, as if she had been given a new life.
The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games was Qian Hongyan's first time on the Paralympic stage. Although she only managed to finish 9th in the end, it was already a huge improvement.
Standing under the banner of the five rings, Qian Hongyan felt extremely excited and proud. At that moment, she finally realized her childhood dream.
Subsequently, Qian Hongyan continued to work tirelessly into training. She knows that her potential and strength have not yet been fully realized. In 2021, Qian Hongyan, who won another silver medal in the Shaanxi Special Olympics, proved that she is still the best in the team.
From "Basketball Girl" to "Flying Fish in the Water", this transformation in just a dozen years has condensed too much sweat and hard work of Qian Hongyan. She has grown into a worthy athlete, and her story inspires people with disabilities behind her.
Since being called the "basketball girl", Qian Hongyan's deeds immediately ignited media attention. The story of the inspirational struggle of a girl with a disability has resonated with countless people.
Her image of hardship and hard work has touched thousands of netizens and won everyone's praise and support.
On social networks, many people have left messages saying that Qian Hongyan has regained her confidence in life. Like an honorable spiritual guide, she infects and inspires all people with disabilities with her tenacious willpower.
Now, Qian Hongyan has found a job she likes, and her daily life is full and happy. She often shares her life updates on social media and maintains intimate interactions with her fans.
Recently, she was also named "National Upward and Good Youth", which is undoubtedly an affirmation and praise for her struggle.
At the beginning of this year, when the new crown epidemic broke out in her hometown, Qian Hongyan also actively responded to the call to participate in volunteer services. She and other volunteers worked together to buy daily necessities for the elderly, which attracted unanimous praise from the local people.
Qian Hongyan has become an outstanding representative of the disabled community, and is widely loved and respected by all walks of life. In her, we see the courage to persevere and the power of positivity.
This positive energy is influencing and infecting more and more people.
Looking back at Qian Hongyan's 22 years of struggle, we can't help but deeply sigh that disability is not the end of life, but just another new starting point. It does not wear out a person's heart, but rather makes her tenacious.
If it weren't for that unfortunate car accident, Qian Hongyan today might have become an ordinary girl living in her ordinary world. And the advent of disability just opened the door to another world.
There, she was given the opportunity to be reborn and developed a new self.
When Qian Hongyan looked up at the sky again, she found that the colors of life were so dazzling. The life she could have given up easily is now filled with new hope and strength.
All this depends on the outstretched hands of family, friends and all walks of life, who have pulled her out of the quagmire of despair step by step.
Today, Qian Hongyan has become a role model for many people with disabilities, and her story is inspiring more people who are just as ill-fated as she is. She used her own personal experience to tell everyone that disability is not the end, as long as you have a dream in your heart, you must bravely pursue it.
There will be some bumps in the road of life, and we can't predict the changes, but what we can do is to be brave and believe in ourselves when facing difficulties.
As long as we join hands and shoulder to shoulder, we will definitely be able to build a bright road.