Gay Masters saw the photograph in an adoption magazine and could not forget the little girl staring back at her. Oksana was living in Ukraine, had severe limb differences and had already been passed over by other prospective families. Gay did not see a list of medical problems. She saw the child she wanted to bring home. Getting Oksana out took roughly two years of paperwork, delays and persistence.
Five days before the best game of his life, Jim Abbott got crushed. Cleveland scored seven runs, collected ten hits, and knocked him out before the fourth inning was over. On September 4, 1993, Abbott faced the same team again at Yankee Stadium, and this time Cleveland did not get a single hit. The Motion Nobody Else Had to Learn Abbott was born without a right hand, yet he became an elite left-handed pitcher.
Jessica Cox had always been afraid of flying. But during a flight one day, the pilot sitting beside her offered to let her try the controls. She took off a shoe, wrapped her toes around the control wheel and began moving it. Then the pilot took his hands away. Jessica was flying the airplane herself. … Read more
Arunima Sinha was traveling to Delhi in April 2011 when her life changed in a matter of seconds. She was on her way to take an exam for India’s Central Industrial Security Force, hoping to build a career after years of playing competitive sports. During the journey, men on the train tried to steal her … Read more
Bob only wanted one piece of firewood. It was New Year’s Eve 2016, and he was watching football at his home in northern Michigan when he decided to step outside during a commercial break. It was around 10:30 p.m. He was wearing a shirt, long johns and slippers because he expected to be back inside … Read more
In 1938, Károly Takács was one of Hungary’s best pistol shooters. He had spent years developing the speed and accuracy needed to compete at the highest level and had already been part of a world championship team. Then, during a military training exercise, a grenade exploded in his right hand. The injury destroyed the hand … Read more
In 2002, 13-year-old Jan Mela was playing table tennis with friends in Malbork, Poland, when a rainstorm sent them looking for shelter. Jan entered an electrical transformer building, where he received a devastating 15,000-volt electrical shock. He survived, but his injuries were so severe that doctors had to amputate his right forearm and part of … Read more