{"id":3327,"date":"2021-09-01T19:33:09","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T23:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/?p=3327"},"modified":"2021-09-03T15:08:17","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T19:08:17","slug":"this-paralympian-lost-both-her-legs-in-the-brussels-bombing-and-is-now-competing-in-the-tokyo-2020-paralympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/2021\/09\/01\/this-paralympian-lost-both-her-legs-in-the-brussels-bombing-and-is-now-competing-in-the-tokyo-2020-paralympics\/","title":{"rendered":"She Lost Her Legs in the Brussels Bombing. Now, She’s Competing in the Paralympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Beatrice de Lavalette was only 17-years-old, she got hit by the terrorist bombing at the Brussels airport.<\/p>\n

De Lavalette had serious burns and a spinal cord injury from the tragic incident and also lost both her legs below the knee.<\/p>\n

Despite the traumatic situation she was put in, the Paralympian says she wouldn\u2019t be the person she is today if it weren\u2019t for it. She wouldn\u2019t be the person competing for the U.S. Para-Equestrian team in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

De Lavalette has always had a passion for riding. She stared at the age of 3, and by 12, de Lavalette took up dressage. However, getting back in the saddle after sustaining her injuries was not an easy task. Yet, it didn\u2019t stop her from going back to what she enjoyed doing most.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no muscle, I was just skin and bones, so being back on the saddle with no sense of balance was really uncomfortable,\u201d de Lavalette told CNN<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cBut with time, I was able to build up the muscle and work on my balance, and it got easier with time.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the encouragement and help from friends, family, and the doctors, she was once again able to ride her horse, DeeDee.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeeDee saved my life,\u201d the Paralympian told The Doctors<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cMy mom had figured out a way to get\u2026DeeDee into the hospital parking lot. I said, \u2018Where\u2019s my [wheel]chair?\u201d<\/p>\n

What she didn\u2019t expect was to see her horse approaching her, taking away the pain she felt after trying to come to terms with her injuries.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Beatrice De Lavalette (@beatriceldl)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n