It's hard to imagine that the sunny two-time Paralympic gold medal fencer Yu Chui yee had such a bad time at age 11 when bone cancer threatened her life and eventually took her leg.
A positive attitude has helped Ms Yu turn adversity into a happy experience and an opportunity. Her perseverance allowed her to advance and stopped her family worrying about her.
She said: "When I was 11, I had one of my legs amputated because of cancer. Mum held me tight and cried. I comforted her and told her I would stand up and live positively despite the bad thing." Ms Yu developed this positive attitude early in life.
She is now busy training and doing a master's degree. She lives in a dorm at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, but often goes home for delicious soups prepared by her mother. She has prosthesis and often goes hiking with her family. She said that staying in regular contact with family sustains the love between them and lets them share her achievements.
"Bone cancer was a big challenge, but it also made me able to appreciate life and learn to be positive," said Ms Yu. "I can only take part in the Paralympics because I had the amputation. Cancer also let me get to know many good friends and, as I said, brought me to foil, something I love so much. My disability also helped me learn to be independent." Ms Yu always reminds herself: "Those who can face challenge are able persons. Disability is a good experience anyway."
"My family keeps all the news clippings about me and when I realized my brother was doing foil because of my influence and that dad and mum were so proud of me when sharing my stories with their friends, you know I feel so touched in my heart." Optimism is Ms Yu's key to overcoming adversity.
