On September 15, 2001 Alex Zanardi was coming out of a pit stop at the American Memorial 500 - a Formula One Car race. Leading the race with only 13 laps to go Alex was pulling out of the pit onto the fray with cold tires when he was hit by another driver at 180 miles per hour. his car was quite literally cut in two.
Within seconds the emergency crew was at his aid, saving his life. unfortunatel y the accident took both his legs just above the knee - what most would think of as a catastrophic fate. Not for Zanardi.
In 2005 he won his first Kart race since the accident in a custom modified car. In 2007 he took 4th place in the New York City Marathon handcycling division. In 2009 he won the Venice Marathon handcycling division. He truly conquered his challenges. In his road to recovery Alex said:"... the desire to go back to racing will grow inside me so much that I'll work very hard toward it. It will be bloody difficult, but life is a fight, and I'm always fighting. I never say never."
I am so inspired by stories like this. It is amazing to me to see the resilient nature we have as human beings, but even more amazing to see those that not only meet challenges, but overcome them beyond what most would imagine.
No comments:
Post a Comment