Preface
In the long river of time, no one can predict which will come first, tomorrow or the unexpected. However, the journey of life is full of unknowns, some people do not see the light of life in the fog of tomorrow, while others touch the stars of hope in the unexpected dark night. Life, from birth, is destined to be imperfect, because everyone is born with some kind of defect.
Twenty years ago, a little girl endured the mutilation of her life, and her body was facing great challenges. Perhaps this is God's arrangement, requiring her to find the meaning of existence in the cultivation of the soul and transcend the defects of the body. She is the "basketball girl" who once moved the whole of China.
This "basketball girl" played her extraordinary melody on the stage of life. In the face of physical disability, she chose to weave a picture of her own with strength and courage.
So, how are the basketball girls doing now?
Rise to the challenge and face it with optimism
In 1996, Qian Hongyan was born in an ordinary family in Yunnan. His parents worked as farmers for a living, and his family was not wealthy. She has shown a cheerful and optimistic personality since she was a child. Every day, I play with my friends in the village, and the laughter often echoes in the hillside meadows.
One afternoon when she was 4 years old, Qian Hongyan and a few girlfriends were playing on the side of the road at the entrance of the village, and her shoes fell in the middle of the road without paying attention for a while. Just as the little girls were laughing and trying to pick up their shoes, a speeding truck rushed towards them without warning.
Seeing that a tragedy was about to happen, Qian Hongyan and another little girl were swept under the car by the front of the car. By the time the truck stopped, the two little girls were dying. Qian Hongyan's legs were destroyed beyond recognition, and another little girl died on the spot.
This sudden change broke an originally innocent family. Qian Hongyan was rushed to the hospital for rescue, and in order to save her life, the doctor could only perform a high amputation on her.
When Qian Hongyan came to her senses and found that she no longer had any legs to stand and run, the shock and despair in her heart almost made her collapse. A cheerful and optimistic little girl who became disabled overnight.
This is undoubtedly a huge blow. The peaceful life was suddenly broken, and Qian Hongyan's personality became withdrawn and silent.
However, the elderly grandfather did not give up on this lovely granddaughter. He searched around and finally found a dilapidated basketball in an abandoned court nearby.
He transformed the basketball into a simple prosthetic leg so that Qian Hongyan could sit on it and move. With it, Qian Hongyan can finally go out of the house again and go to school like an ordinary little girl.
In the face of the inconvenience of life caused by disability, Qian Hongyan did not lose her fighting spirit. She saw that many people with disabilities were living in dignity and were determined not to use disability as an excuse.
With her grandfather's encouragement, she was optimistic and positive in the face of many difficulties, but still diligent and studious. Seeing his granddaughter smile again, the grandfather was relieved.
Exposure and rebirth, the metamorphosis of disabled athletes
In 2004, an opportunity changed Qian Hongyan's fate. She was selected by the Ministry of Public Security to shoot a short film promoting safe travel. This short film shows this strong and optimistic "basketball girl" in front of the national public.
People were touched by her experience and optimism, and they sent her blessings. Many well-wishers generously gave Qian Hongyan material and spiritual help.
Among them, the most influential is Bai Jingfu, vice minister of public security. He took the initiative to contact Yunnan and personally arranged for Qian Hongyan to go to Beijing to receive all-round rehabilitation treatment from experts.
Under the careful care of doctors, high-tech prosthetics brought new life to the girl. Not only has her physical function been significantly improved, but Qian Hongyan's psychological and mental state has also been refreshed.
After being discharged from the hospital, Qian Hongyan is no longer a poor girl who can only crawl with simple prosthetic limbs, but a sunny girl full of confidence and vitality. A year later, on the recommendation of medical staff, Qian Hongyan joined Yunzhinan, a club in Beijing that specializes in training athletes with disabilities.
She soon showed a talent for swimming and aspired to become a professional athlete. At this time, Qian Hongyan has transformed into a new self - a young athlete who is disabled but not disabled, full of confidence and determination.
Ups and downs, the road to the Paralympics
In the "Yunzhinan" club, Qian Hongyan met her life mentor, Zhang Honghu, a senior swimming coach for people with disabilities. Coach Zhang strictly requires every athlete to raise Qian Hongyan's training volume to a new level.
At first, the harsh training made Qian Hongyan a little unbearable, but with the patient encouragement of Coach Zhang, she gradually adapted and accepted such intensity.
Under the careful guidance of the coach, 11-year-old Qian Hongyan began arduous professional training. She is very talented and studies hard, swimming at least 10,000 meters and doing thousands of sit-ups every day.
Soon, Qian Hongyan's athletic ability improved considerably. From the initial county-level competition to the later national Para Swimming Championships, Qian Hongyan won medals with extraordinary perseverance and outstanding performance.
In 2009 and 2010, she competed in the event twice, winning a total of six medals. One step closer to achieving the Paralympic gold medal.
However, the trick of fate struck again. In 2011, Qian Hongyan's grandfather, who had always been a spiritual pillar, unfortunately passed away. The news undoubtedly came as a heavy blow to the young athlete.
For a while, Qian Hongyan fell into an unprecedented trough and melancholy. She collapsed and her form plummeted, and she was not selected for the Chinese delegation to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
This is another major blow in Qian Hongyan's sports career. But she didn't give up on her dream. With the help of her coach and teammates, Qian Hongyan gradually got out of her grief, regained her strength, and went all out to start preparing for the next Paralympic cycle.
In order to make herself more competitive, she chose to switch to a more advanced prosthetic limb imported from the United States in 2013. The new prosthetic leg gives her even more competitive strength. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, Qian Hongyan got her wish and won a valuable medal for the Chinese team.
Career and family, another starting point
After reaching the peak of her career in 2017, Qian Hongyan was arranged to work in her hometown Luliang County Disabled Persons' Federation. This unit is close to home and the work is relatively easy.
A stable job and life also allows her to spend more time with her family. While the parents are proud of their daughter, they also hope that she can start a family as soon as possible.
In 2019 and 2021, Qian Hongyan won medals in national competitions. The spirit of self-improvement is still the same.
In the new year of 2023, in the face of the selection and training of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Qian Hongyan, who is over 30 years old, rose up again. She returned to the "Cloud South" club and resumed high-intensity training. Most of her teammates around her retired from the army, but Qian Hongyan still maintained her enthusiasm, hard work and tenacity.
She is no longer just a "basketball girl" who moved China, but a flag among the disabled, a symbol of "bravely chasing dreams and never giving up". No matter what the path of life in the future, as long as she has a positive attitude, she will definitely move forward bravely and live a wonderful life.
epilogue
Qian Hongyan's story touches everyone who knows her. A tragic beginning, but because of her optimism and self-improvement, she started a wonderful and gorgeous life.
At the low and peak of her fate, she was able to maintain a positive attitude. This is a valuable spiritual wealth for everyone to learn and Xi. No matter how the environment changes, as long as there is light in the heart, you will definitely be able to open the breakthrough of life and move towards the light.