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Stef Reid

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My guest this week, on the first Sunday of Advent,

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is one of British Athletics' brightest stars.

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She's a Paralympian, a five-times world record holder,

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and reigning long jump world champion.

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It's no wonder she calls herself The Blade Stunner.

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She wants to be first. She pushes herself to be the best

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that she can be, regardless of the obstacles in front of her.

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Stef Reid trains here,

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at Loughborough University's Elite Athletic Centre.

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It was in 2008, during the Beijing Paralympics,

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that she first came to public prominence,

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when she won a bronze in the 200 metres.

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Then, in London 2012, she won silver,

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but this time in the long jump.

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And that was a feat that she replicated again in Rio last year.

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Stef wasn't born with a disability.

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At the age of 15, with aspirations to be an international rugby player,

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she was involved in a boating accident

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which changed her life forever.

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I was terrified at the prospect of dying. I was 15.

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You know, this really wasn't a scenario

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that I had ever even remotely considered.

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There was some indication that she wasn't going to make it,

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because she'd lost so much blood.

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Not knowing if she would survive,

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Stef made a pact with God.

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I remember being in that ambulance

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and just really praying for the first time.

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"God, please save my life.

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"I have no hope at all right now,

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"except beyond what you can give."

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Stef's prayers were answered - but after a life-saving operation,

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she had to face some dreadful news.

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My mum walked into the recovery room,

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and she just took my hand and just said,

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"You know, my darling, I'm so sorry,

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"but the surgeons couldn't save your leg,

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"and they had to amputate."

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And...

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..I was devastated.

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Stef decided to focus her energies on her studies,

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gaining a degree in biochemistry,

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which she intended to be a stepping stone to medical school.

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One day, Stef was looking out of a window, watching a friend of hers

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who was training on an athletics track, and Stef thought to herself,

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"Hmm, I was quite fast when I had two legs and no disability.

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"I wonder how fast I'd be now."

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And she took one of the biggest gambles of her life.

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She decided not to go to medical school,

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but to try her luck as a full-time athlete.

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And she succeeded, big time.

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It's a story that resonates with our theme

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for this first Sunday of Advent, which is hope.

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And it's not as if her accomplishments

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stopped at athletics.

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Determined to challenge stereotypes about disability

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and body image,

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Stef became a fashion model on the London catwalk.

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What that proves is that

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we don't need to see models

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who are airbrushed and tall, thin, young.

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We want to see inspirational women,

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and she was absolutely the right woman for the job.

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Stef has met the Queen, the Pope,

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and has even starred in a short feature film.

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Hey! What was that?!

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-Are you all right?

-Just leave.

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Just leave!

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It's a remarkable story, especially how her deep faith

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has comforted her in times of total despair.

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And that faith continues to comfort her and drives her on,

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perhaps to that elusive gold Paralympian medal in 2020...

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..and to who knows what else? We'll see.

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Since joining the British Athletics team in 2010,

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Stef's home has become Loughborough and during the day,

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it's the university's sports facilities.

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-It's a bit cold, isn't it?

-It is a bit.

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You haven't got enough meat on you, girl.

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So, everything you were doing just there - what were you doing?

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So, we have a brilliant 400-metre outdoor track.

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We have the indoor location, and so, typical day of training,

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you never come in and just start -

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you come in and you do a warm-up to get your body ready to go, and so...

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-Is that what you were doing there?

-Yeah.

-It looked fairly gentle.

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I thought I could do that.

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Um, we start gentle and then we kind of build it up, build it up.

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But it's nice, too, because you start the day,

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and you kind of come in and you see everyone,

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and check in and see how everyone's doing,

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and then you get ready for some hard work.

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You said to me earlier that tomorrow you were doing some very hard work,

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and you were a bit frightened about it. So, what are you doing?

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I mean, if you're frightened, it must be horrific. So, tell me.

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So, it's winter training, and winter training is notorious for being...

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It's just hard. You know, you really have to put the work in.

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You know, you're breaking down your body,

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and you're kind of building the tank.

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Doesn't that make you want to be sick at the end of it?

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-It does, yeah.

-Yeah.

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Stef was born in October 1984 in New Zealand,

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to British parents - Phil from Scotland,

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and Carol from County Durham.

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At the age of four, Stef moved with her family to Canada,

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and quickly found out that sport was her passion.

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When did you first find out that you were competitive?

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I think it was at school.

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Yeah. Well, I probably was always competitive.

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Erm, I was always quite physical.

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I loved running, I loved all sorts of sports.

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And it was the school sports day,

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and the whole school was involved.

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And I was quite small for my age,

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and I was in the lowest grade,

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but they kind of had the teams mixed, and...

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So, how old were you?

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-I would have been six.

-Six!

-I would have been six.

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And the oldest on the team would have been 12.

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And they mix us all up, and you have your team captain,

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and we raced in the sprints, we raced in the distance,

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and I won both, and it was just a great experience for me.

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So that buzz, that sensation, stayed with you and you thought,

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-"Let's do it again."

-Definitely. I mean, from that moment on,

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I tried out for every school team that there was.

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You know, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cross-country,

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all those things.

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But it was rugby where Stef discovered her real talents lay.

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We were really fortunate that one of the teachers at our school

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played at a very high national level,

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and decided to put out a team for us, and...

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I think it was just, you know...

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There aren't that many opportunities

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as a young female to be able to really explore that aggressive side.

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-Yeah.

-But even as an athlete, that was the one sport that, for me,

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perfectly highlighted my whole skill set, as a sportswoman.

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I think at that time rugby was her favourite.

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She was actually very good. She was very fast, but she was clever.

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And even at that stage, she was a leader,

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cos she would be directing the team.

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She did enjoy rugby.

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And I actually was opposed.

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I was very concerned about potential injuries.

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Little did I know what was about to unfold.

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At age 15, Stef was living the life of any typical sporty teenager...

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..but then a devastating accident during a weekend away

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at a friend's house changed her life forever.

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It was a holiday weekend in Canada,

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and their cottage was located on a lake,

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and they had an amazing boat,

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and we would do this thing called tubing, and that is where you attach

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a rubber tube to the back of the speedboat -

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it's kind of really lazy water-skiing,

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is how I would describe it - and you would go across the lake.

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And, you know, typically, you would hit a sharp corner,

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and you would fall off.

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And I had fallen off and I was in the water,

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and I was just waiting to get picked back up.

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And I remember seeing the boat in the distance,

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and, you know, just kind of waiting for it, and literally just

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looking around, thinking, "Wow, this is just such a stunning day.

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"What a great weekend."

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At that point, I looked back at the boat,

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and I just knew instantly, something was really wrong.

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You know, the boat was coming way too fast.

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The driver doesn't see me,

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and he obviously doesn't know that I'm in the water. And...

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You know, your brain just kind of switches into survival mode,

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and you start making decisions really, really quickly. And I kind of assessed it immediately.

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All you're thinking is, "You have got to miss those propellers."

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I knew I didn't have enough time to swim to either side,

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and I thought, "Well, this is fine,

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"I'm just going to dive below the water, hold my breath,

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"I'll let the boat go across, this is going to be fine."

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And I forgot that I had a life jacket on.

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And I couldn't get under and, you know,

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you're trying to fumble with clips and zips, but there's just no time.

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And...

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I think at that point, you just...

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There wasn't anything I could do except for

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just kind of hope for the best, really.

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Unfortunately, the boat did hit you.

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And to be honest, I didn't know.

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I didn't know that I'd been hit,

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and I was kind of just...

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I was on the surface just kind of gathering myself,

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and I didn't feel right.

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I had been hit by the propeller across my lower back,

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and it caught my right leg,

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and that was the moment when it was just, "This is...

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"This is not good."

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It was the day that she was going to be picked up.

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We got a phone call to say that she had been injured,

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but they did not tell us the extent of the injury.

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And I was getting angry that, all the cellphones we had,

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all the cellphone numbers, no-one was calling us back.

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But then it sort of dawned on me that something more serious,

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potentially, had happened.

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I tried to stay calm, because all around me was panicking.

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And I was driving. We just had to

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try and think positive thoughts.

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Who knew what had happened? Who came first?

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Erm, there was a lifeguard on the boat and he came out

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and he grabbed me and they got me on the boat.

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And that was when you could just see...

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I mean, there was just too much blood.

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I remember constantly trying to sit up

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and somebody pushing back on my shoulder,

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and I'm trying to sit up, and someone pushing back on my shoulder,

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cos they didn't want me to see my leg,

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because they knew how bad it looked.

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But even in that moment, I mean,

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I could just see it in everyone's face.

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They managed to get you to hospital.

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I think it was quite a long way to the nearest hospital.

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It was, yeah. We were probably about an hour and a half out,

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and it was a tough situation because,

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you know, there wasn't a lot of support locally.

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They did eventually take me just to a really small clinic

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that couldn't do anything.

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I remember in the clinic, they sent my parents in

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and then it just hit me. Erm...

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They've sent them in to say goodbye in case you don't make it.

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And that was a pretty sobering moment.

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In actual fact, there was some indication

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that she wasn't going to make it, because she'd lost so much blood.

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And the hospital where she was at

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really couldn't handle the situation.

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And they were waiting on an ambulance to pick her up

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to take her to Toronto.

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No blood transfusion, a hospital a long way away,

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no-one coming to get you...

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What kept you alive?

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I was terrified at the prospect of dying.

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Erm...

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I mean, gosh, I was 15.

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This really wasn't a scenario that I had ever even remotely

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considered, and I just had a really crushing sense

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in the ambulance that I had not lived life well,

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in the sense that I had not lived a life

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that acknowledged God,

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that was lived knowing him.

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You know, I didn't really have a relationship with him.

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And I mean, from the outside,

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probably people wouldn't have said that about my life...

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No. You were a 15-year-old girl.

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Yeah, I mean, I did well in school, I had lots of friends,

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I did well in sports, but I just had this real weight

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that I didn't know God.

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And I remember being in that ambulance...

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..and just really praying for the first time.

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You know, "God, I just...

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"Please save my life.

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"I have no hope at all right now

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"except beyond what you can give.

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"And I just... Please save my life so that I can do better,

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"I can try again, and I can live a life more honouring for you."

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When Stef eventually arrived at the hospital,

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she was rushed to the operating theatre and a surgeon got to work.

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Things went unbelievably well.

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We had an amazing orthopaedic surgeon come in,

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and just do an incredible job.

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You know, there was no permanent internal injury.

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You know, I had no spinal damage.

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Um... And so...

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And I was so thankful to still be alive, and I was thinking,

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"Wow, this is awesome." You know, "Thanks, God."

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-He's come through.

-Yeah, great job! This is going to be great, you know.

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So much of life to look forward to.

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But Stef's happiness and relief were about to be cruelly crushed.

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When my mum walked into the recovery room...

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And she was so sad, and I just thought, you know, "Why is she sad?

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"Like, I'm alive." I didn't get it. Um...

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And she walked over

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and she took my hand and just said,

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"My darling, I'm so sorry,

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"but the surgeons couldn't save your leg

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"and they had to amputate."

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And...

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..I was devastated.

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I remember just kind of turning over and just being so consumed with...

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..I guess just grief, really. I didn't know how to process it.

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It was so strange because on the one hand, I was so thankful

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to still be alive and yet at the same time, I was so angry.

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You know, I love sport.

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I was playing rugby at the time and all I could think about was,

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"How am I going to play rugby if I can't run?"

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And, you know, this wasn't part of the deal.

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It was devastating.

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If you can imagine being 16 years old, quite beautiful...

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..erm, and having this accident where in the early part,

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she was crawling around the floor.

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Erm, it was very difficult for her.

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Stefanie was very, very emotional.

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She actually was on suicide watch in the hospital.

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I stayed at the hospital the entire time.

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She dug down deep into the depths of her soul

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to find the energy, the courage to move forward.

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My mum - literally the first word off her tongue

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when anyone even started discussing amputation was,

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"Can you amputate my leg instead and give it to Stefanie?

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"And I'll learn to walk."

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-Um... You know, which obviously wasn't possible at the time.

-No.

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But that was her first instinct. It was really hard, you know. She...

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She slept in an incredibly uncomfortable chair beside my bed.

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I probably wasn't very pleasant to be around.

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You know, I was grieving, I was angry, I was not behaving well.

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Just even little things, like...

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I have this one recollection of her.

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I still couldn't get out of bed, so she brought a toothbrush.

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And I yelled at her,

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because I was really angry that she'd brought my toothbrush

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and she had put the toothpaste on in one big blob,

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instead of an even line across it.

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And, you know...

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Didn't react, even though I was being ridiculous.

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And patiently corrected it, and then...

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..went out into the hall, probably to gather herself,

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and I just didn't know how much it affected her.

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So, you're taking it out on your mum, which is understandable.

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Who else would you take it out on?

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Yeah, I just didn't have another outlet.

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But again, she was there just absorbing all of that.

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And I can't even imagine how hard it was for her.

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Did you start to trust God again?

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-He'd saved your life but he'd taken your foot.

-Mm-hm.

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That was still a sticking point!

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I was living in the space where I was both really angry with God

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and incredibly at peace with him.

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And it sounds like it's impossible to do both, but you can.

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And I sensed... I could feel his presence

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and his spirit in my hospital room.

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And, yeah, it doesn't mean everything was perfect,

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it was still really, really hard. But I just kind of had this moment.

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I mean, I had to work through it. What do you believe?

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What are you willing to base the foundation of your life on?

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And I came to the conclusion that, OK, so if God is

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the creator of the universe, he's the creator of the world...

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..I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

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I'm going to accept that perhaps I don't understand as much as he does.

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Perhaps his perspective is better than mine.

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She'd always been involved with church, through family and school.

0:18:290:18:35

And I think in a life-threatening situation like that,

0:18:350:18:40

that's the natural progression you would take towards your faith.

0:18:400:18:45

Then there was a nurse who came in, and could see that you were

0:18:450:18:50

maybe wallowing in self-pity.

0:18:500:18:53

-But she brought you up sharply.

-She did.

0:18:530:18:56

Her name was Nurse Claudette.

0:18:560:18:58

And it was... It was seven days,

0:18:580:19:00

exactly a week after the accident initially happened, and...

0:19:000:19:04

..I suspect she had been around and had been watching some things,

0:19:050:19:08

and she came in that morning.

0:19:080:19:10

And she had the breakfast on her tray -

0:19:100:19:12

and you have to understand, at this stage, I just...

0:19:120:19:15

I just stopped caring, you know. I wasn't eating.

0:19:170:19:21

I didn't really want to see anyone.

0:19:210:19:24

It was just existing, basically.

0:19:240:19:27

And I told her I didn't feel like breakfast.

0:19:270:19:30

I kind of closed my eyes hoping, pretending to sleep

0:19:300:19:32

and hoping she'd get the hint and just leave me alone.

0:19:320:19:36

But instead, she put the tray down by my bedside.

0:19:360:19:41

And you know, she looked me in the eye.

0:19:410:19:44

And she said, very firmly but very gently...

0:19:450:19:48

.."That's enough.

0:19:510:19:52

"You know, it doesn't... It doesn't matter how you feel.

0:19:530:19:56

"You need to start doing something."

0:19:560:19:58

You know, there is a...

0:20:000:20:02

She said there was a ten-year-old girl in the ward below me

0:20:020:20:05

who had lost both of her feet, and she could still smile.

0:20:050:20:07

"What's your excuse?"

0:20:080:20:10

-And she left it there.

-Wow.

0:20:120:20:14

Those words struck home, and Stef was filled with renewed hope

0:20:170:20:21

and determination.

0:20:210:20:23

After a period of recuperation, Stef soon found that with sport

0:20:230:20:27

no longer in her life, she needed another goal to aim for.

0:20:270:20:32

She was someone who was determined to make it either in academics,

0:20:320:20:36

politics, law, medicine, sports.

0:20:360:20:41

She had so many options open to her but I knew this was a major,

0:20:410:20:45

major transition for her in her life.

0:20:450:20:48

But I remember her yearbook statement.

0:20:480:20:51

It's not what lies before you and it's not what lies behind you,

0:20:510:20:56

but it's what lies within you.

0:20:560:20:58

So, when you got back to school, academia took over.

0:20:580:21:01

You also have a very good academic brain and so

0:21:010:21:03

you threw yourself into your studies.

0:21:030:21:06

How did you fill your time until you left school?

0:21:060:21:09

When I went back to school, suddenly I wasn't spending

0:21:090:21:13

two, three, four hours any more training.

0:21:130:21:16

And I just had this additional time and this additional energy.

0:21:160:21:20

And so it all kind of just got poured into my schoolwork.

0:21:200:21:24

And so I studied hard.

0:21:240:21:27

And, you know, my new goal was I wanted to be a surgeon.

0:21:270:21:31

And I ended up earning a full academic scholarship

0:21:310:21:35

to study biochemistry at Queens University in Canada.

0:21:350:21:39

And from there, wanted to go on and do medical school.

0:21:390:21:43

After the experience of spiritual awakening following her accident,

0:21:460:21:50

it was at university that Stef discovered her preconceptions

0:21:500:21:54

about people with faith were not borne out by reality.

0:21:540:21:57

Because that was kind of the first time that I'd realised...

0:21:580:22:01

I met Christians who weren't weird, if that makes sense!

0:22:010:22:04

-You know...

-Why is that assumption? Weird, Christian.

0:22:050:22:08

I know, but I think...

0:22:080:22:10

Depending on where you live in the world,

0:22:100:22:13

sometimes faith is just not something that's a popular topic.

0:22:130:22:17

Or sometimes, people will think that in order to be

0:22:170:22:20

a person of faith, you kind of have to check your brain at the door.

0:22:200:22:23

You can't still be a deep thinker.

0:22:230:22:24

And it was through university, and obviously,

0:22:240:22:26

I was sitting biochemistry.

0:22:260:22:28

We had a lot... We talked a lot about the world and evolution

0:22:280:22:32

-and that sort of thing.

-Yeah.

-So, it was this great period where

0:22:320:22:34

I was meeting other Christians in different walks of life,

0:22:340:22:37

and again realising, OK, they're not weird.

0:22:370:22:40

And seeing how they do life

0:22:400:22:41

and how their faith comes through in their profession.

0:22:410:22:45

While still at university, Stef was watching a friend

0:22:450:22:48

training on an athletics track when she realised being an amputee

0:22:480:22:52

didn't necessarily exclude her from excelling at sport.

0:22:520:22:55

And I just thought, you know... I had always been pretty fast.

0:22:570:23:01

"I wonder how fast I still am."

0:23:030:23:05

And that was it, and it was just that small seed

0:23:050:23:07

and I couldn't get it out of my head, I'm the kind of person

0:23:070:23:09

that once it's there, I just need to see it through.

0:23:090:23:12

And I...

0:23:120:23:13

I called the coach of the varsity team at the university,

0:23:130:23:17

and I kind of explained the situation.

0:23:170:23:19

"I've no idea what I'm doing, but I just got this running leg

0:23:210:23:25

"and I'd really love just to learn how to use it."

0:23:250:23:30

Wow! And how long did it take you

0:23:300:23:32

before you actually were in your stride?

0:23:320:23:35

You know, I had these visions.

0:23:350:23:37

I was going to pick up the sport and I was going to be amazing

0:23:370:23:40

and I was going to take over the world

0:23:400:23:42

and be the best blade sprinter ever!

0:23:420:23:44

And...

0:23:440:23:45

-You know, apparently life doesn't work like that.

-Hmm!

0:23:460:23:50

At this point in her life,

0:23:500:23:52

Stef's sights were still set on going to medical school.

0:23:520:23:55

But a chance invitation to the Manchester Paralympic World Cup

0:23:550:23:58

in 2006 made her re-evaluate everything.

0:23:580:24:02

When did you actually start competing properly?

0:24:040:24:07

It was my first ever international meet,

0:24:070:24:10

and I didn't know what to expect.

0:24:100:24:14

I had never known that Paralympic sport had that potential.

0:24:140:24:17

And that's just, again, started a new seed in my mind,

0:24:170:24:19

and I just thought...

0:24:190:24:21

"You know, 2008 Paralympics in Beijing - what would that be like?

0:24:210:24:25

"I definitely don't want to miss out on that."

0:24:250:24:27

And it kind of sparked a different course in my life.

0:24:270:24:31

So, Stef started to take her training seriously

0:24:310:24:34

and, according to her current coach,

0:24:340:24:36

has the perfect temperament for an athlete wanting to improve.

0:24:360:24:39

We're doing a technical session

0:24:400:24:42

and she'll do a jump. And we'll come across.

0:24:420:24:45

we know what the objectives of sessions are.

0:24:450:24:47

And then she goes back and tries to execute that.

0:24:470:24:49

Erm, most athletes will say, "Yeah, coach," and then just move off.

0:24:490:24:53

But once she actually takes on the information,

0:24:530:24:56

that is now written on her diary sheet,

0:24:560:24:59

to make sure that she actually remembers that information

0:24:590:25:01

for the next session.

0:25:010:25:03

It was in 2005 that Stef met her husband-to-be Brent Lakatos,

0:25:040:25:09

who, like Stef, is a Paralympian

0:25:090:25:11

and had a disabling accident when young.

0:25:110:25:14

But Stef was not a girl who could be won over easily.

0:25:150:25:19

I was at Canadian Nationals in 2005.

0:25:200:25:24

And so, you kind of know everybody

0:25:240:25:26

on the Canadian team from competing.

0:25:260:25:28

And then there's this new girl and I saw her one day

0:25:280:25:31

and thought, "She's really pretty."

0:25:310:25:33

I managed to squeeze her phone number out of her coach,

0:25:330:25:37

and get in touch with her

0:25:370:25:38

and have a few awkward phone calls back and forth.

0:25:380:25:41

And then the next year, I decided,

0:25:430:25:47

"OK, well, now I've chatted with her a few times,

0:25:470:25:50

"I should probably ask her out on a date or something."

0:25:500:25:52

And so, she promptly said no.

0:25:520:25:54

It just wasn't the right time for me. I'm always someone...

0:25:540:25:58

I just don't know how to do things in half measures.

0:25:580:26:01

You know, I would never consider dating someone

0:26:010:26:03

unless I saw a future in it.

0:26:030:26:05

And at that point, I just didn't.

0:26:050:26:07

But Brent wasn't the type to give up.

0:26:070:26:10

The World Championships in 2006, we were both selected

0:26:100:26:13

and it was a seven-hour plane ride.

0:26:130:26:15

And so Brent - very clever -

0:26:150:26:17

he called the travel agent and requested to have not only

0:26:170:26:22

the same flight path as me, because he was living in Dallas, Texas.

0:26:220:26:25

But also he wanted to have the seat ticketed next to me.

0:26:250:26:29

All without asking me.

0:26:290:26:30

Because he thought, "Brilliant, seven hours on the flight -

0:26:300:26:33

"I'll have her undivided attention."

0:26:330:26:35

And he came prepared.

0:26:350:26:37

You know, he had his DVD player, he had romantic comedies,

0:26:370:26:40

he had all my favourite snacks.

0:26:400:26:42

And so we went to the World Champs and it was lovely.

0:26:420:26:44

You know, we were friends and I did... He was a great friend.

0:26:440:26:49

So, sitting next to him on the plane,

0:26:490:26:51

did you think, "What a coincidence! We're sitting next to each other"?

0:26:510:26:54

Did you really think that?

0:26:540:26:55

I did, I asked him about it and he did confess.

0:26:550:26:57

And we were coming back and again, he had the seat next to me.

0:26:570:27:00

And he began to turn and...

0:27:000:27:02

I knew he was going to ask me out again,

0:27:020:27:05

and bearing in mind this was the 27th time...

0:27:050:27:09

-You'd been counting?

-It was a rough count, yes, but 27th. And...

0:27:090:27:13

It was kind of... Again, I had no intention to date him

0:27:150:27:17

and I thought, "OK, the kindest thing I can do right now is just..."

0:27:170:27:23

I need to end this.

0:27:230:27:24

So, I cut him off mid-sentence and I just said, "Brent...

0:27:240:27:28

"..I think you're great.

0:27:290:27:32

"But we are never ever, ever going to date.

0:27:320:27:36

"Ever."

0:27:380:27:39

Still, Brent persisted.

0:27:400:27:42

This time inviting Stef down to Dallas for a weekend

0:27:430:27:46

where they could just be friends.

0:27:460:27:48

Stef agreed, but there were strict conditions.

0:27:480:27:51

And she sent me an e-mail with about ten rules.

0:27:510:27:54

I wasn't allowed to try and hold her hand,

0:27:540:27:55

I wasn't allowed to ask her out, I wasn't allowed to...

0:27:550:27:58

There were literally about ten rules. And so, I stuck, I was good.

0:27:580:28:03

She came down and I followed all those rules, and then

0:28:030:28:07

by the end of the weekend, I think her feelings started changing.

0:28:070:28:10

On the final day she was there, she was like, "Brent...

0:28:100:28:14

"..I think I'm ready to date you."

0:28:150:28:17

It was like...

0:28:190:28:21

The way that she did it, I was afraid I'd done something wrong!

0:28:210:28:24

No, and so I was kind of shocked, but in a good way.

0:28:260:28:29

As their relationship grew, the 2008 Beijing Paralympics

0:28:290:28:33

were fast approaching - something they were both competing in.

0:28:330:28:36

Stef's strongest event was the long jump.

0:28:360:28:38

It was a total disaster.

0:28:380:28:40

I mean, of epic proportions,

0:28:400:28:42

and I walked out of there feeling like a complete failure.

0:28:420:28:45

You think, "Gosh... "My family's over here -

0:28:450:28:48

"they've spent a lot of money to come and watch."

0:28:480:28:50

And you know, you really feel like you've let everyone down.

0:28:500:28:54

And I went back to the village

0:28:540:28:56

and I cried for about two hours.

0:28:560:29:01

-You couldn't be with Brent? You couldn't find him.

-No, Brent came.

0:29:010:29:04

-Oh, good.

-And he sat with me crying.

0:29:040:29:06

And then I went and I got something to eat.

0:29:060:29:09

And then I had to go back to the track

0:29:100:29:11

because I had the 200-metre final.

0:29:110:29:13

The 200 metres turned out to be a very different story,

0:29:140:29:18

when Stef, who was placed in the outside lane,

0:29:180:29:20

won a surprise bronze medal.

0:29:200:29:22

Out of the corner of my eye, the person leading falls,

0:29:230:29:26

and the person in second place also falls.

0:29:260:29:29

And I was in fourth place and I just thought, "Stefanie,

0:29:290:29:32

"this is never going to happen again. You need to get up there."

0:29:320:29:35

And I ended up getting the bronze by 1/1,000th of a second.

0:29:370:29:40

For me, it's that reminder.

0:29:400:29:42

You fight until the end,

0:29:420:29:44

because you don't know how things are going to turn out.

0:29:440:29:46

However, Brent had a very different Games.

0:29:460:29:49

He didn't perform quite as he wanted.

0:29:500:29:53

And again, it's hard in a relationship where you have

0:29:530:29:55

two athletes, because it's so rare that your seasons match

0:29:550:29:59

in terms of you both do really well or you both maybe don't do as well.

0:29:590:30:03

Generally, it's mixed.

0:30:030:30:05

This happened in 2013 at the World Champs,

0:30:050:30:07

Brent won his first ever World Championship medal,

0:30:070:30:10

and I had the most horrible performance I've ever had.

0:30:100:30:14

But he would be supportive of you, if he'd had a terrible time

0:30:140:30:17

-and you were doing it?

-Yes, of course.

0:30:170:30:19

And there is a part of you that really worries, like...

0:30:190:30:23

Am I going to be a big enough person to be able to celebrate this?

0:30:230:30:27

And I was genuinely scared, I remember praying about this to God.

0:30:270:30:31

You know, "God, I'm really scared that he might win that medal

0:30:310:30:35

"and I really don't want the first thing that I feel to be jealousy."

0:30:350:30:39

And I was so happy that when he did cross,

0:30:390:30:42

it was just tears of joy for him.

0:30:420:30:44

Because this is not a competition, I've seen him through this journey.

0:30:440:30:48

And you know, we've both seen each other in situations

0:30:480:30:51

behind closed doors that most people don't see,

0:30:510:30:54

and we know how hard it's been for the other person.

0:30:540:30:56

And it was just so great to celebrate that with him.

0:30:560:31:00

Stef's bronze medal in Beijing opened doors for her.

0:31:000:31:03

Wanting to have the best preparation

0:31:030:31:05

and facilities for the London Paralympics,

0:31:050:31:08

she switched in 2010 from representing Canada

0:31:080:31:11

to becoming a British athlete.

0:31:110:31:13

That meant leaving her husband Brent behind in Canada.

0:31:130:31:16

But it did mean she could become a full-time athlete.

0:31:170:31:20

I still kind of choke on the words now, "I'm a professional athlete."

0:31:220:31:26

It is hard to say but I think, actually...

0:31:260:31:29

OK, the moment that really crystallised it for me...

0:31:290:31:31

I was at a gym, I was travelling.

0:31:320:31:34

I wasn't in Loughborough, I was at a gym, you know.

0:31:340:31:37

It's nice because you can go in and be anonymous and I was squatting.

0:31:370:31:41

-And...

-With weights?

0:31:410:31:42

Yes, you have like a bar behind your back

0:31:420:31:44

and, you know, you can do quite a lot of weight on it.

0:31:440:31:48

It looks very impressive.

0:31:480:31:50

And, erm, there were these two guys,

0:31:500:31:53

either in their late teens or early 20s.

0:31:530:31:56

And they came up to me

0:31:560:31:57

and asked if I could help them out with their squats.

0:31:570:32:02

I was just sitting there thinking, like...

0:32:020:32:05

"They have just asked a girl with one leg for help squatting."

0:32:050:32:10

So, that was the first time I thought, "Wow, people must obviously

0:32:100:32:13

"take me seriously as an athlete," and that did feel good.

0:32:130:32:17

By becoming a professional athlete, Stef was full of hope

0:32:180:32:21

that she could do one better at London 2012

0:32:210:32:24

by winning silver, or maybe gold.

0:32:240:32:26

This competitive streak is a trait those closest to her

0:32:270:32:30

see on a daily basis.

0:32:300:32:32

We have silly little games around the house,

0:32:340:32:36

even who can squeeze the last little bit

0:32:360:32:39

out of the toothpaste container,

0:32:390:32:41

and so if you can imagine taking that to the Paralympics,

0:32:410:32:46

it's difficult so she'll take it quite hard,

0:32:460:32:54

but then it drives her forward and so, like I said,

0:32:540:33:00

she's got a really strong work ethic.

0:33:000:33:03

If she didn't achieve what she wanted to achieve

0:33:030:33:06

in a certain area, whether it's sport or otherwise,

0:33:060:33:09

it'll make her try harder in the future

0:33:090:33:12

and so that's what she's done.

0:33:120:33:14

At the end of the day, the athletes have got to have talent.

0:33:140:33:16

You know, the saying goes,

0:33:160:33:17

"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear,"

0:33:170:33:20

so you've got to have someone

0:33:200:33:22

who has the ability to start with.

0:33:220:33:24

That's almost base level because, on top of that,

0:33:250:33:29

what you then require is someone who has, one, the belief, the desire

0:33:290:33:34

and the motivation to actually be the best or to better themselves.

0:33:340:33:38

It's not even about being better than someone else.

0:33:380:33:41

It's being better than themselves.

0:33:410:33:44

That's the most important thing because they're driven

0:33:440:33:47

by being better than they were last week, last year, last month.

0:33:470:33:51

As an elite athlete, the difference between a podium place

0:33:510:33:54

and walking away with nothing comes down to small margins

0:33:540:33:58

and crucial to Stef's success, whether jumping or sprinting,

0:33:580:34:02

is the quality of the prosthetic limb she performs on.

0:34:020:34:05

-You're wearing your prosthetic leg right now.

-I am.

0:34:070:34:10

So, how much is a prosthetic leg?

0:34:100:34:13

It can range. I'd probably put them

0:34:140:34:16

at a range between £5,000 to £15,000.

0:34:160:34:18

Hmm. So, this one?

0:34:180:34:20

In terms of value of components, you're probably

0:34:200:34:22

looking at about 3,000, but the real craftsmanship is in the socket.

0:34:220:34:27

That's what takes the time. You do tonnes of different test sockets.

0:34:270:34:30

You need someone who's an expert who can do it and for that reason,

0:34:300:34:34

it's really hard to value the work, especially cos I didn't have a bill.

0:34:340:34:38

-I couldn't afford them is the answer.

-Now, how many do you have?

0:34:380:34:43

-I have five.

-Five?

-Yeah.

-So, a day to day, a blade...

0:34:430:34:48

Day to day, I have my everyday leg.

0:34:480:34:50

I have three sport legs, so I have my competition running leg,

0:34:500:34:55

I have my competition jumping leg and then I have what's called,

0:34:550:34:58

like, a jogging leg

0:34:580:35:00

so if I wanted to do a sport like basketball or volleyball

0:35:000:35:04

that needs side-to-side movement, not just running in a straight line,

0:35:040:35:07

then I would use that one and then I have a three-inch high-heel leg.

0:35:070:35:11

-For parties?

-Yes!

-With stilettos that fit?

-Yeah, it does.

0:35:110:35:15

Actually, it's hilarious

0:35:150:35:17

because the only way that I can find a shoe that fits

0:35:170:35:19

is I literally have to go into the store

0:35:190:35:21

-with the leg and I just think...

-Try it on!

0:35:210:35:23

Exactly. I need something that fits the shape of this foot.

0:35:230:35:26

-The arch...

-Exactly.

0:35:260:35:27

And so their faces are brilliant

0:35:270:35:29

and they're trying desperately not to react

0:35:290:35:32

and I'll just purposely act

0:35:320:35:34

-like it's the most natural thing in the world.

-Exactly.

0:35:340:35:37

But the leg that's made her really famous,

0:35:370:35:41

and at the same time is the hardest to design, is the blade.

0:35:410:35:45

The man responsible is Richard Nieveen.

0:35:450:35:49

The prosthesis is fundamental to any athlete.

0:35:490:35:54

It has to be comfortable and it has to be secure.

0:35:540:35:57

The loads that are going through

0:35:570:35:59

the prosthesis are considerable.

0:35:590:36:02

In long jump, by example, they're ten times body weight

0:36:020:36:06

so comfort is a priority, such that we're not causing injury.

0:36:060:36:12

When I qualified some 25 years ago, our core materials were wood,

0:36:120:36:18

they were metal, they were leather

0:36:180:36:21

and the materials today are primarily

0:36:210:36:24

the carbon fibre technology that at that point was used in aerospace

0:36:240:36:29

and defence is now used in prosthetics.

0:36:290:36:33

In the run-up to London 2012, Stef, on the surface,

0:36:370:36:41

had everything set up to go for gold.

0:36:410:36:44

# It's looking like a beautiful day... #

0:36:440:36:48

A new training base, new coaches and a state-of-the-art prosthetic blade.

0:36:480:36:53

# When my face is chamois-creased... #

0:36:530:36:57

But then a problem emerged.

0:36:590:37:01

Stef was starting to feel the strain of being a professional athlete

0:37:010:37:05

while living apart from her husband and family.

0:37:050:37:09

In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, I believe you had some doubts.

0:37:090:37:14

Your heart wasn't quite in the right place.

0:37:140:37:17

I think it was...

0:37:170:37:19

You know, I was starting to really feel the strain

0:37:190:37:23

of living apart from Brent, living apart from my family.

0:37:230:37:27

There was a lot of pressure.

0:37:270:37:29

It was the first time in my life I'd ever had sponsors,

0:37:290:37:32

not that I had any pressure from the sponsors.

0:37:320:37:35

They were amazing. But it was just that I didn't want

0:37:350:37:37

to let anyone down, I didn't want to let the country down

0:37:370:37:41

and things were not going well

0:37:410:37:43

and I remember I was competing at a meet

0:37:430:37:47

and my mum had called me shortly after

0:37:470:37:51

and she could hear in my voice that things weren't right

0:37:510:37:54

and she wasn't buying the, "No, no, I'm fine," and so finally

0:37:540:37:57

I think I just burst into tears and, you know,

0:37:570:38:00

just finally said what I'd been trying to avoid thinking about.

0:38:000:38:04

"I just don't know if I can do it. I don't know what to do."

0:38:040:38:10

And she was brilliant.

0:38:100:38:12

She was not a happy camper at that time.

0:38:120:38:16

I simply said, "Well, there's two choices.

0:38:160:38:20

"You can continue or you can walk away and quit.

0:38:200:38:24

"However, if you walk away and quit, you'll never know what might be."

0:38:240:38:29

I was very impressed that she decided

0:38:290:38:33

to go forward with the challenge.

0:38:330:38:36

I'm a firm believer that, yes, it's great to have support around you

0:38:360:38:40

and have people who want to guide you

0:38:400:38:42

and help you to move forward, but you've got to have that inner fire.

0:38:420:38:49

You have to bring it to the table to do

0:38:490:38:52

and have the passion to move forward and do this.

0:38:520:38:55

But Stef also felt, before London 2012,

0:38:550:38:59

that she had somebody else on her side.

0:38:590:39:02

I was really nervous

0:39:020:39:03

because I'd had an injury

0:39:030:39:04

and I hadn't prepared for it as I wanted to

0:39:040:39:06

and yet you don't want to go out there and let the home crowd down

0:39:060:39:10

and so I was with my friend James, who was also...

0:39:100:39:14

He was one of the chaplains there and we'd known each other

0:39:140:39:18

from a few years ago and he prayed with me before I went to this race.

0:39:180:39:25

I really got this sense of God saying to me,

0:39:250:39:28

"This is what I've called you to."

0:39:280:39:29

-COMMENTARY:

-She is in good form, regularly going over 5m in training.

0:39:290:39:33

Inspired, Stef dealt with the pressures on her...

0:39:330:39:36

That's a good jump from Stef Reid.

0:39:360:39:39

..overcame her self doubts and won silver in the long jump.

0:39:390:39:44

I knew that Stefanie was the kind of person who would go on

0:39:440:39:47

to do great things no matter what,

0:39:470:39:49

that the severity of her injury in no way would define her

0:39:490:39:54

and her goodness and greatness

0:39:540:39:56

and the contributions that she would make.

0:39:560:39:58

Winning silver at the most successful Paralympics ever

0:40:000:40:03

brought Stef to people's attention.

0:40:030:40:06

And she was approached by Debenhams to take part in a fashion campaign

0:40:070:40:12

which aimed to change people's attitudes

0:40:120:40:14

to the stereotypes around body image, including disability.

0:40:140:40:19

One person was at the front of my mind and that was Stef

0:40:230:40:27

because I knew that she would be just right for this.

0:40:270:40:31

I knew she loved clothes,

0:40:310:40:33

I knew that she would be that elegant body in my images.

0:40:330:40:40

I knew that her walk would be great, I knew that she would be able

0:40:400:40:46

to give the best of herself, really, and fit in.

0:40:460:40:48

Everything I'd seen from Stef, you know,

0:40:480:40:51

from her motivated approach

0:40:510:40:54

made me feel she was absolutely the right woman for the job.

0:40:540:40:57

This thing about, obviously, prosthetics can be sexy,

0:40:570:41:01

attractive, as can anything that's happening to your body. It's OK.

0:41:010:41:06

-Yeah.

-Very powerful.

0:41:060:41:07

Do you know, it was really special

0:41:070:41:10

when I was originally asked to do it. It was just something that...

0:41:100:41:13

I don't know, I just never really considered that I would be asked.

0:41:150:41:19

I think when the accident happened,

0:41:190:41:21

I was obviously a young teenage girl

0:41:210:41:23

and you're already going through a number of different challenges

0:41:230:41:26

in terms of how you look and I think probably one of the best things

0:41:260:41:31

about it was at that age, I just kind of realised,

0:41:310:41:34

"Do you know what? I'm not going to look like

0:41:340:41:36

"these girls in the magazines,"

0:41:360:41:37

and so I kind of just had the freedom to completely remove myself

0:41:370:41:40

from any of those standards

0:41:400:41:42

and I kind of went on my own journey to accepting the way

0:41:420:41:46

my prosthetic leg looked - from being really embarrassed about it

0:41:460:41:49

to being, like, "Yeah, you should stare cos it looks awesome!"

0:41:490:41:54

Yeah.

0:41:540:41:55

The dress that Stef wore was a John Rocha cocktail dress

0:41:550:41:58

with her black blade.

0:41:580:42:00

The dress very quickly sold out.

0:42:000:42:03

What that proves

0:42:030:42:05

is that we don't need to see models

0:42:050:42:10

who are airbrushed and tall, thin, young.

0:42:100:42:14

We want to see individuals, we want to see inspirational women,

0:42:140:42:19

we want to see women who present some differentness

0:42:190:42:22

so that we can all see where we fit in and that we are a community

0:42:220:42:27

and for me, that was real proof

0:42:270:42:31

that when we choose a broader range of models, everybody loves it.

0:42:310:42:36

I want to do everything that I can just to project

0:42:360:42:42

an image of someone that, yeah, looks different

0:42:420:42:44

and, yes, does not look like a Vogue model

0:42:440:42:46

or someone you would typically see,

0:42:460:42:48

but actually is really happy with her body

0:42:480:42:51

and with her skin and what it can do.

0:42:510:42:52

-And we don't look all the same, anyway.

-No, we don't.

0:42:520:42:55

-Why try and aspire to look the same thing?

-Exactly.

0:42:550:42:59

One of the best, I don't know, self-esteem moments for me

0:42:590:43:04

was being in elite sports and realising,

0:43:040:43:09

"Do you know what? Elite female athletes also have cellulite."

0:43:090:43:13

-I know!

-Do you?

-I do!

0:43:150:43:18

Fashion aside, the Rio Paralympics were fast approaching

0:43:180:43:22

and Stef desperately hoped she could do one better

0:43:220:43:25

than her London 2012 silver.

0:43:250:43:28

I got a bronze in Beijing, I got a silver in London.

0:43:280:43:31

You know, what a fairy tale to suddenly get the gold in Rio.

0:43:310:43:35

I knew that I had a shot

0:43:350:43:36

and I've always been in kind of two minds

0:43:360:43:40

about how do I pray before going into a meet

0:43:400:43:43

and obviously my instinct is, "God, please let me win!"

0:43:430:43:47

But, at the same time, he's not a tame power source,

0:43:470:43:51

I don't just kind of dictate to him, "I would like this,

0:43:510:43:53

"this and this," and think that it's just going to happen.

0:43:530:43:56

God's on everyone's side. He can't just single you out.

0:43:560:43:59

Exactly right and he loves everyone and he honours everyone's work

0:43:590:44:02

and so it's a ridiculous prayer to pray, "Please let me win,"

0:44:020:44:04

but I still pray it just in case. But I'm pretty sure it doesn't help.

0:44:040:44:08

But I'm very clear in my mind now.

0:44:080:44:10

I feel very much called to be an athlete.

0:44:100:44:12

I know that that is what God wants me to do in my life right now

0:44:120:44:15

and I take it really seriously.

0:44:150:44:16

I'm going to be the best athlete that I can be.

0:44:160:44:19

-NEWS REPORT:

-Stef Reid leapt to the lead in the women's long jump

0:44:190:44:21

with a leap of 5.64m.

0:44:210:44:24

But Rio wasn't to be Stef's year.

0:44:240:44:26

French athlete Marie-Amelie Le Fur broke the world record

0:44:260:44:30

to pip Stef at the post and take gold.

0:44:300:44:33

-COMMENTARY:

-Well, there's tidy

0:44:330:44:34

and there's super-tidy by the French athlete.

0:44:340:44:37

Marie-Amelie, she jumped amazingly

0:44:370:44:39

and I jumped well and, you know,

0:44:390:44:43

my coach Aston, he was fantastic. He can obviously...

0:44:430:44:46

He knows me and he knew that was hard

0:44:460:44:51

and he looked me in the eye and he said,

0:44:510:44:57

"Well done, that was a good silver. You be proud of that."

0:44:570:45:01

And I was, but it still hurts.

0:45:010:45:06

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:45:090:45:12

Then this year, in the London Para Athletics World Championships,

0:45:130:45:19

that hope as a teenager that she could overcome

0:45:190:45:21

the cruellest of blows in life and be the best finally came to pass.

0:45:210:45:26

-COMMENTARY:

-..which means Stef Reid

0:45:260:45:29

is the World Para Athletics champion.

0:45:290:45:31

Stef won that long awaited long jump gold.

0:45:310:45:35

Oh, wow, I was there and that was very, very exciting.

0:45:350:45:39

That was definitely a very, very delightfully sweet moment

0:45:390:45:46

and position to be in. It was electric. It was amazing.

0:45:460:45:50

It was thrilling. We loved it!

0:45:500:45:52

I've been doing this for, gosh, 11 years now

0:45:520:45:54

and it's taken so long and it's so satisfying to finally get there

0:45:540:46:00

and a lot of athletes never get to do this

0:46:000:46:04

and I'm just so thankful that I've got to the top.

0:46:040:46:06

For Stef, only the gold medal matters.

0:46:060:46:09

She wants to be number one, she wants to be first.

0:46:090:46:13

She pushes herself to be the best that she can be,

0:46:130:46:15

regardless of the obstacles in front of her,

0:46:150:46:20

and given the fact that she wears a blade,

0:46:200:46:23

I can see exactly where that attitude comes from.

0:46:230:46:26

So, this summer, you won gold.

0:46:260:46:29

-It was amazing, but not for the reasons I expected it to be.

-Yeah.

0:46:290:46:33

The reason it was so special was, one,

0:46:330:46:35

because this had been a long journey for me, you know.

0:46:350:46:39

It took me - gosh, what? - 11 years to finally do this.

0:46:390:46:44

I was 32.

0:46:440:46:47

It's not always that common that you keep improving in older age,

0:46:470:46:52

but I stuck with it and I finally got there.

0:46:520:46:55

CAMERA CLICKS

0:46:550:46:57

Stef's determination on the running track was mirrored

0:46:590:47:02

in her approach to the challenges presented by the fashion world.

0:47:020:47:06

So, when she was asked by fashion designer Lenie Boya

0:47:060:47:08

to take part in London Fashion Week

0:47:080:47:10

as the first-ever amputee on one of their catwalks,

0:47:100:47:14

Stef was ready to strut her stuff

0:47:140:47:16

and send out a positive message about disability.

0:47:160:47:19

It was called the Alternative Limb Project and it was brilliant

0:47:220:47:26

because the Alternative Limb Project,

0:47:260:47:29

the ethos behind it is that, you know,

0:47:290:47:31

forget about making limbs that look real.

0:47:310:47:34

Let's turn them into fashion accessories.

0:47:340:47:37

And so it was just this idea of, you know,

0:47:370:47:39

forget trying to go back to being normal.

0:47:390:47:42

Let's take this as a creative opportunity

0:47:420:47:46

to create something that you couldn't do with a real leg.

0:47:460:47:49

Let's make it, "Oh, I wish I had an artificial leg,"

0:47:490:47:52

instead of, "Oh, I'm really sorry,"

0:47:520:47:54

which, OK, fine, maybe is a step too far,

0:47:540:47:56

so we ended up designing this incredible leg

0:47:560:47:59

that fit these two outfits that Lenie had made

0:47:590:48:02

and we turned, actually,

0:48:020:48:03

one of my old running blades into a stiletto high heel that...

0:48:030:48:07

I think the best way to describe it is that it looks like a chandelier.

0:48:070:48:10

I mean, you just need to look at the photo and then there was the thing

0:48:100:48:13

where you had to learn to walk with it cos, I mean, first of all,

0:48:130:48:16

blades are designed only to run.

0:48:160:48:18

They're actually incredibly uncomfortable to walk on.

0:48:180:48:20

Now, consider you've put a stiletto on the other leg,

0:48:200:48:23

you've turned the blade into a stiletto

0:48:230:48:25

and you're having to walk

0:48:250:48:27

an, I mean, you can't just walk the London Fashion Week.

0:48:270:48:29

-You have to walk it with attitude.

-Yes.

0:48:290:48:32

It was so much fun.

0:48:320:48:34

We mustn't underestimate the importance of seeing images

0:48:340:48:37

like this because they're highly glamorous,

0:48:370:48:42

they go out in a sort of very high status setting

0:48:420:48:46

and they speak to other people of beauty and elegance and difference.

0:48:460:48:52

Ready?

0:48:540:48:56

Three, two, one...

0:48:560:48:59

Go!

0:48:590:49:01

Not content with just being a fashion model,

0:49:010:49:03

Stef decided to try her hand at starring in a short feature film.

0:49:030:49:07

The Energy Within is the story of an athlete

0:49:100:49:13

who is embarrassed that she has a prosthetic leg

0:49:130:49:15

and tries to lie her way into an able-bodied group of athletes.

0:49:150:49:19

I wrote the script about a year and a half ago

0:49:390:49:44

and I knew I could only make the project if I had someone

0:49:440:49:48

that knew the world better than I did

0:49:480:49:52

because I'm not disabled and I'm not an athlete so with my producer,

0:49:520:49:57

we went online and I literally e-mailed her fan page,

0:49:570:50:01

fully expecting never to hear about that again, except she replied.

0:50:010:50:07

It was really great because people have asked a few times,

0:50:070:50:09

"Oh, are you going to write a book?"

0:50:090:50:11

And I've just never felt compelled to

0:50:110:50:13

and part of the reason I've never felt compelled to

0:50:130:50:15

is because chronology doesn't really mean that much to me

0:50:150:50:20

and even during the accident, a lot of the chronology for me

0:50:200:50:24

is mixed up because when...

0:50:240:50:27

Obviously, if immediately you're in shock, you're on painkillers

0:50:270:50:30

and emotions just kind of skew things,

0:50:300:50:33

but what I do remember is how I felt

0:50:330:50:36

and I feel like that came across in the movie.

0:50:360:50:39

It was the emotions, it was the feelings that were important

0:50:390:50:42

and it was a really, really honest look.

0:50:420:50:44

-SHE SPEAKS FRENCH

-Hey, hey!

0:50:440:50:47

-What is your problem?

-Hey! Calm down, OK?

0:50:470:50:51

-This looks really bad.

-No, don't... No, DON'T!

0:50:510:50:54

What?

0:50:540:50:55

Are you kidding me?

0:50:560:50:58

-I'm training with an invalid!

-Kebe!

0:50:580:51:00

-You don't think this was worth mentioning?

-Just leave me.

0:51:030:51:06

-I think it's broken. I think you...

-Just leave!

0:51:090:51:12

Just LEAVE!

0:51:120:51:14

OK, session's over, Kebe.

0:51:180:51:20

Having never been in a film,

0:51:200:51:22

the director was concerned whether Stef could act,

0:51:220:51:25

but Stef applied the same discipline to learning

0:51:250:51:27

that skill as she did to learning how to run fast or jump far.

0:51:270:51:31

There was homework which she did and then asked for more

0:51:340:51:38

and I think the funniest...

0:51:380:51:42

The most indicative thing that she did that I loved

0:51:420:51:45

was when we would practise.

0:51:450:51:48

When we do rehearsals, at the end of a scene,

0:51:480:51:52

she would then stand up straight, put her arms behind her back

0:51:520:51:54

and kind of go, "Right, so what are your notes?"

0:51:540:51:57

Like an athlete would at the end of a race talking to a coach.

0:51:580:52:02

She said that in athletics, you know exactly how well you're doing

0:52:020:52:06

because you know how fast you're running or how far you jump,

0:52:060:52:08

whereas here in acting,

0:52:080:52:11

that's the hardest thing is that you never really know how you're doing.

0:52:110:52:15

We were doing a scene

0:52:150:52:19

where I was basically at the doctor's office

0:52:190:52:22

and I was in a wheelchair

0:52:220:52:23

and things with the prosthetic hadn't gone well

0:52:230:52:26

and just really revisiting those emotions

0:52:260:52:28

of just total dejection and hopelessness.

0:52:280:52:31

And I spent an entire morning obviously acting like that

0:52:310:52:34

and then I couldn't understand why I just felt rotten

0:52:340:52:37

for the rest of the day, and you just kind of absorb it

0:52:370:52:40

and the best way to act is, again, just to revisit those moments

0:52:400:52:45

where things did not go well

0:52:450:52:47

and you felt like a failure and you felt like giving up and...

0:52:470:52:51

Yeah, it wasn't fun, but it was also really, really...

0:52:510:52:54

I don't know, I guess healing?

0:52:540:52:58

It was good to remember where I've come from.

0:52:580:53:01

But despite her venture into movies,

0:53:010:53:04

Stef's main focus is still international athletics.

0:53:040:53:08

I had a look at your website and it says something like,

0:53:080:53:11

"2018 - plans still in work."

0:53:110:53:15

So, that means you're obviously planning something,

0:53:150:53:18

so what's going on?

0:53:180:53:20

Well, Brent and I recently made the decision that we do want

0:53:200:53:27

to commit to Tokyo 2020, which is incredibly exciting.

0:53:270:53:31

We always knew that we would go through till 2017

0:53:310:53:34

and then we were just going to see how things were.

0:53:340:53:37

Obviously, I'm now 33, he's 37.

0:53:370:53:40

We are slightly older than your average Paralympian,

0:53:400:53:43

you could say, but we just feel like we're still getting better.

0:53:430:53:46

It's such a privilege to do this and to have this lifestyle

0:53:460:53:50

and I just think we're still loving it.

0:53:500:53:51

We're going to do it for as long...

0:53:510:53:54

It's a short window so we're going to make the most of it.

0:53:540:53:56

Paralympian, actor, fashion icon, role model -

0:53:590:54:05

Stef Reid has, in the 18 years since losing her lower right leg,

0:54:050:54:09

already made her mark on sport and society.

0:54:090:54:12

Having someone like Stef in our media is vital.

0:54:140:54:19

She's inspirational and she's an individual

0:54:190:54:23

and that's the joy of working with someone like her.

0:54:230:54:27

Some people put their faith, let's say, in sports psych, yeah?

0:54:270:54:31

Stef, I'd probably put her faith in God, yeah?

0:54:310:54:34

And from that perspective, that works just as well.

0:54:340:54:38

Her confidence is not rooted in pride,

0:54:380:54:41

but in a real knowledge of her own strength

0:54:410:54:44

and an understanding of herself as a person

0:54:440:54:47

and that connection between mind and body and soul and that ultimately

0:54:470:54:52

God is her strength and will grant her the desires of her heart.

0:54:520:54:57

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:54:570:55:00

And Christmas, finally, the pair of you.

0:55:000:55:02

-You have family obviously in Canada, some still in the UK?

-Mm-hmm.

0:55:020:55:08

So, how do you split your time?

0:55:080:55:11

Oh, we're undecided this year.

0:55:110:55:13

I guess part of the nice thing about being a couple without kids

0:55:130:55:16

is that you're free to have the really indulgent Christmas

0:55:160:55:19

where you just sleep in and have a lovely lazy day.

0:55:190:55:21

You know, to be honest, it's been a really busy two years

0:55:210:55:24

and it's really nice just to have that time, just the two of us

0:55:240:55:28

catching up, just getting to be together

0:55:280:55:30

and just do really fun, normal things.

0:55:300:55:32

And does church come into it? Will you go to church on Christmas Day?

0:55:320:55:36

Definitely. We don't always go to church on Christmas Day,

0:55:360:55:38

which probably sounds quite weird. But for me, church is...

0:55:380:55:44

The primary function of church is community.

0:55:440:55:47

The church we went to in Dallas,

0:55:470:55:49

they didn't even open on Christmas Day

0:55:490:55:51

because they felt that family is so important, you know.

0:55:510:55:54

"We don't want people having to wake up early

0:55:540:55:56

"and feel like it's a chore and feel like they're rushing to get here."

0:55:560:56:00

It's the relationships that, at the end of the day,

0:56:000:56:02

that's what's most important and, for me, Christmas is about that.

0:56:020:56:07

Stef, it's been such a pleasure to meet you. Really lovely.

0:56:070:56:11

Good luck for 2020 and for all the dreams you may have

0:56:110:56:15

-for you and Brent.

-Oh, thank you! I really appreciate that.

0:56:150:56:19

Wow! What an inspiration Stef is, isn't she?

0:56:200:56:23

She's survived that terrible accident, she's gone on

0:56:230:56:26

and forged a terrific career and come out with a gold medal.

0:56:260:56:30

All of us hit bumps in the road at some times in our life

0:56:300:56:32

and it can be difficult to get over them,

0:56:320:56:34

but she's shown us that we can.

0:56:340:56:36

# So, what happens now?

0:56:360:56:38

# Another suitcase in another hall... #

0:56:380:56:40

Next week, I'm in Edinburgh

0:56:400:56:41

to meet Scottish singer and actress Barbara Dickson.

0:56:410:56:44

She's been performing for nearly 50 years,

0:56:440:56:47

but fame has never sat easily with her.

0:56:470:56:49

I was afraid of losing my soul,

0:56:510:56:54

losing my identity.

0:56:540:56:56

A sudden attack of stage fright

0:56:560:56:59

and exhaustion meant that Barbara took a break.

0:56:590:57:02

I think she just went, "Bang! This is too much."

0:57:020:57:06

But her Christian faith has carried her through.

0:57:060:57:10

God looks after me. I just put my hand

0:57:100:57:13

in this great big hand.

0:57:130:57:15

This is my hand.

0:57:150:57:16

It goes into a great big hand

0:57:160:57:19

and he just says, "You're OK."

0:57:190:57:23

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