Aimee Mullins

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What is confidence? Confidence is Aimee Mullins. Confidence is when you feel good about who you are and even if you have a little "flaw" you are still not insecure and you don't let that "flaw" keep you from living your life. Aimee Mullins does not live a day when she is not confident that she can do whatever she puts her mind to. Aimee Mullins has extraordinary confidence despite the fact that she does not have any legs and, she still can do much more than any able-bodied person can because she does not let her disability hold her back from fulfilling her dreams. She has all of the qualities to be a hero and she is a hero.

Aimee Mullins was born and raised in 1976 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was a graduate of Parkland High School and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. While in Georgetown University, Aimee competed against athletes without disabilities. This would be really hard for her because she was born with fibular hemimelia which soon lead to both of her legs being amputated. To help her, she has twelve different pairs of prosthetic legs for all of her activities that she participates in.

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Aimee has accomplished many things. Some things that she has accomplished are setting Track records at the 1996 Paralympics, running against other able-bodied athletes, and having a successful modeling career. She is an excellent speaker. She is also very positive about her physical disability. As an actress, she has played some roles in these movies: Cresmaster 3, Five Little Pigs, Marvelous, World Trade Center, and Quid Pro Qou. As an athlete, she would compete against non-disabled athletes in college. Her personal bests, as a Track star, are 15.77 seconds for the 100 meter dash, 34.60 seconds for the 200 meter, and 3.5 meters for the long jump. In 1999, she was a model for Alexander McQueen. She could change her height for each photo shoot from 5'8" to 6'1". Aimee was a great motivational speaker. Aimee once said at one of her speeches, "It's not what you have lost, but what you have left that counts."

Aimee inspires me because she has overcome many obstacles and with all of her talents she tries to help others just as others have helped her. Aimee is living a life that I don't think I could handle. She has taught me that nothing is impossible and that I shouldn't say "I can't" because it could always be worst. If I keep going and never give up, I will be able to accomplish anything that the world throws at me as long as I stay positive.

So what is a hero to you? Clearly to me it is Aimee Mullins. I hope now that you have heard what she has to deal with difficulties everyday and she has accomplished much. Aimee will never get to live like me but she will always live life to the fullest and will be confident that she can do anything even though she may do it differently. She shows that everybody is beautiful both inside and out and that your flaws are just imperfections. Don�t let them hold you back from living your life.