Kellie Lim was 8 years old when she contracted meningococcal disease. The infection led to a triple amputation, and she spent almost three years unable to walk; her prostheses needed adjustments, and she attended physical and occupational therapy two or three times a week.
Her father carried her piggyback from the car to the house. Her mother, who had been blind since adolescence, learned to dress her and put on her prostheses every morning so she could go to school. Her brother helped her with whatever she needed, and her older sister encouraged her not to give up.
Today, Lim is a doctor at UCLA Health. Looking back on her journey, she wrote that she never would have imagined reaching that point and acknowledged that the confidence her family, friends, and teachers had in her was key to pursuing her passions.
