Runner with Prosthetic Leg in LR Marathon
By: Bob Clausen, KARK 4 News
Updated: March 5, 2010
For the majority of people, the thought of running a marathon brings a host of reasons to not run a marathon.
Things like, it's too long, it takes too much time to get in shape, it takes too much energy, and it takes two legs.
It does take two legs, but they both don't have to be yours.
For a lot of folks living life with two legs is no longer an option for one reason or another, and for kids facing such a thing, well, it can be a reason to give up hope.
But Amy Palmiero-Winters, a New York mother of two, is not about to let that happen. She knows the challenges. She lost her leg after several attempts to save it following a motorcycle accident.
She could have leaned on societal acceptance that she'd need help for the rest of life, but that was never an option. She shared her positive attitude with kids at eStem in Little Rock today, putting herself out there as proof that any challenge can be met and overcome.
"We all have two choices when we are faced with obstacles. You can give up or move on. You can sit on the couch and feel bad or move on to change what happens to you," she says.
Amy also took the opportunity to talk about being different, and what it's like when you are treated different.
"To be treated badly because you are different is hard and it hurts. It's nice to show them we are all different on the outside, but on the inside we are all the same. You have to be kind to others because it does hurt," says Amy.
This is the first time she has been to Little Rock and looks forward to seeing kids at Arkansas Children's Hospital who are dealing with limb loss and other challenges.
She's also running with kids in the Saturday part of the marathon, and everyone else on Sunday.
How well does she do with one original leg? She has won triathlons, set world records, and finished first in a 130 mile race. So it's not come try these things with me, it's come on let's win this together.
Click here for more information about Winters on her website "See Amy Run."
Things like, it's too long, it takes too much time to get in shape, it takes too much energy, and it takes two legs.
It does take two legs, but they both don't have to be yours.
For a lot of folks living life with two legs is no longer an option for one reason or another, and for kids facing such a thing, well, it can be a reason to give up hope.
But Amy Palmiero-Winters, a New York mother of two, is not about to let that happen. She knows the challenges. She lost her leg after several attempts to save it following a motorcycle accident.
She could have leaned on societal acceptance that she'd need help for the rest of life, but that was never an option. She shared her positive attitude with kids at eStem in Little Rock today, putting herself out there as proof that any challenge can be met and overcome.
"We all have two choices when we are faced with obstacles. You can give up or move on. You can sit on the couch and feel bad or move on to change what happens to you," she says.
Amy also took the opportunity to talk about being different, and what it's like when you are treated different.
"To be treated badly because you are different is hard and it hurts. It's nice to show them we are all different on the outside, but on the inside we are all the same. You have to be kind to others because it does hurt," says Amy.
This is the first time she has been to Little Rock and looks forward to seeing kids at Arkansas Children's Hospital who are dealing with limb loss and other challenges.
She's also running with kids in the Saturday part of the marathon, and everyone else on Sunday.
How well does she do with one original leg? She has won triathlons, set world records, and finished first in a 130 mile race. So it's not come try these things with me, it's come on let's win this together.
Click here for more information about Winters on her website "See Amy Run."
