Sarah Reinertsen doesn’t call it a blessing, but being born with one strong leg rather than two has offered her opportunities she might otherwise have missed.
Sarah’s left leg was underdeveloped when she was born and doctors amputated it when she was 7. Losing her leg was devastating. “I was thinking, ‘Why are you (God) making this happen?’ Afterwards, my congregation and my family made it a very happy thing for me. During my recovery God played a very loving role in my life,” she said
When Sarah was 12, she began running competitively with disabled athletes. She has competed internationally, traveling to France and Canada.
“I’ve learned that each person has their own special gifts to offer,” she said. “God loves you as you are.”
This message is adapted from an article written by Debra Illingworth Greene in the July/August 1992 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine. Now a paratriathlete, Sarah has her own entry in Wikipedia, and you can learn more about her progress since 1992 on her website: http://www.alwaystri.com.