TO BE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE IN the Paralympic Games, going on through September 5 in Tokyo, an athlete must have at least one of 10 impairments. Some Paralympians were born with these conditions, while others acquired them through disease or accident. Three Team USA Paralympians are members of a third group: those who experienced life-changing violence. Their individual stories and circumstances are different, but each of them has endured nightmares that easily could have destroyed them to become elite athletes competing at the top of their respective sports.
Haven Shepherd, 18
SWIMMER CARTHAGE, MISSOURI
“I WAS BORN IN VIETNAM TO TWO parents who were married to other people and they had an affair and had me. The story that we’re told is that they thought the only way they could be together was to commit a family suicide and they strapped bombs on themselves in a thatched-roof hut and held me. They died, but I survived with all the damage done to my lower legs. It happened when I was 14 months old. I was with my maternal grandparents after that and then was adopted when I was 20 months old by Gary and Shelly Shepherd from Missouri. They were with a foundation called Touch a Life and they just wanted to come with their friend Pam to rescue this little girl who needed to come to America for medical treatment. They fell in love with me in the process and adopted me.
This story is from the September 17, 2021 edition of Newsweek.
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This story is from the September 17, 2021 edition of Newsweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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