6 unique stories that will motivate you to keep going
“Difficulties often prepare ordinary people for extraordinary destinies .” This is a quote attributed to writer C.S. Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia.
And it's true: reaching the top is hard work, because if there were another method, it would surely have been known by now.
On more than one occasion, life will present you with challenging situations. How do you find the strength to keep going? These stories will lift you up.
The world has documented countless cases in which certain people have pushed their own and others' limits . We show you impressive success stories.
6 stories full of discipline to inspire you
1. Daniela Zapata practices basketball and dance
This young Chilean woman has been playing basketball for eight years . She had never touched a ball in her life until she decided to start training. Nothing has ever stopped her, either... not even a wheelchair.
“We all want to reach a goal, but everyone's goals are different. Don't torment yourself over how long it takes, how difficult it is, or even if people call you crazy! If it's your dream, you have to make it happen ,” Daniela commented during an interview with Julieta Machuca, Public Relations Manager at Theramart.
Dancing is another of her greatest passions, one she's been doing for 15 years. In fact, she's a two-time world champion in Latin rhythms and the current South American champion.
Daniela often shares her daily life on one of her favorite platforms: social media. On Instagram alone, she already has more than 20,000 followers , with whom she shares tips, exercises, and her passion for living.
Along with optimal performance, Daniela also believes it's essential to have quality cushions and supports for her wheelchair. They must be durable and not cause skin damage, either long or short term.
2. Paula Miranda: a traffic accident changed her life, but not her destiny
Many (many) car accidents can be prevented. And it's everyone's job to raise awareness about prudent and responsible driving , as the victims could be those inside and outside the vehicle, with injuries and irreversible consequences.
That's what happened to Paula Miranda, a young Chilean woman who became a quadriplegic after a car accident in which she was traveling with her friends. Despite the tragedy, she has found the strength to overcome her physical and emotional pain.
Of course, in the initial stages, all sorts of questions about life and destiny arise. “The first thing I asked myself was, 'Why me and not the other people traveling with me?' 'Why was it so serious for me and the others were unharmed?'” He shared this in a telephone interview with Theramart.
Paula remembers feeling like she could be a burden to those around her. However, she is currently married, an athlete, a speaker , and the director of one of the first inclusive modeling agencies in Chile. She also studies psychology, practices inclusive sailing, and is the president of the Nautical Club for All.
She is a living and inspiring testament to the long journey it takes to rebuild and reassemble yourself as a person after losing everything in a few seconds. Click here to discover the battles this woman has faced .
3. Brenda Osnaya, a Paralympic athlete who is a champion
She was barely eight years old when this Mexican woman decided what she would be when she grew up: an Olympic athlete. In fact, she established herself as a promising athlete in her country. And although a turn of events changed everything, it didn't change her intention to become a champion.
From a very young age, her father encouraged her to take up sports, a practice she considers useful in helping her cope with life and a builder of values such as punctuality, discipline, respect, camaraderie, and teamwork.
She won competitions until she became a leading figure. But on the way to a competitive tournament, the van in which she was traveling with three fellow athletes and two coaches suffered an accident when the driver fell asleep. And right there, at the height of her professional career, the young woman suffered a complete spinal cord injury that left her without feeling in her lower extremities and, consequently, confined to a wheelchair.
Her father was one of her greatest supporters, always by her side, helping her through therapy and rehabilitation. After the bitter pill, she established a life philosophy: "Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's impossible ; just because it's impossible doesn't mean I'm going to give up." Thus, she managed to become one of the most prominent figures in Paralympic swimming.
She is currently a speaker, an activist for the rights of women with disabilities, and a three-time world champion in paratriathlon (a combination of swimming, cycling, and adapted athletics).
Want to see Brenda show off her full strength in competition? Click here .
4. Yanive Torres Martínez: rising from the pain to start over
This young Colombian woman holds back tears as she tells her story. "It's joy ," she clarifies , "all my dreams have come true." After all, she has a long athletic career and an astonishing collection of medals . She specializes in shot put, discus, and javelin. And to get there, she had a challenging path ahead of her.
As a young girl, she climbed a tree to pick an orange… and hours later woke up in the hospital. She later learned what had happened to her: she had hepatitis A , which caused her to become so weak that she fell from the tree and suffered a spinal injury that affected her motor skills.
Yanive's life has been full of ups and downs. She hasn't always been so strong and determined. She has gone through several difficult times . One of the hardest was accepting that she would no longer be able to walk. She thought she would never be able to start a family and that she was doomed to depend on others. She finished high school and found refuge in reading, where she learned about the story of a young man with a disability, and this opened up a new perspective for her.
She abandoned her parents' overprotective care and moved to Bogotá. She got a job and learned to become increasingly independent , until she was able to live on her own. While her health condition changed her life, she also dared to dream... and every dream has come true.
She met a coach and decided to dedicate herself to the sport. Her first time participating in the Paralympic Games was in London 2012, followed by the World Championships in Lyon, France. At the 2014 Parasouth American Games in Santiago, Chile, she won three gold medals in all three types of throwing. Married and decorated by her country, she is now a woman grateful for life. Learn more about her story here .
5. Juana Rodríguez Abadíe: transcending limitations
Athlete, dancer, model, influencer … this woman is many things; but above all, she is an inspiration to many people. She was undoubtedly able to recover from tragedy : after being in a coma due to an infection, she woke up to find her right leg was gone.
Uncontrollable pain and swelling in her legs led this 19-year-old to a harsh diagnosis: a very rare and little-known disease called rhabdomyolysis, which destroys muscles and prevents blood from circulating normally. Doctors had to put her on dialysis, and in the hospital, she contracted the infection that forced them to amputate her leg .
Health, family, and friends are her three fundamental pillars, and she is extremely grateful for their unconditional support. After two months of hospitalization and 15 days in a coma, she left the hospital with optimism and the need to move forward .
His greatest tool to cope with all this has been humor and he even went viral in 2018 for a video in which he appears dancing in a wheelchair .
During rehabilitation, the young woman remained wheelchair-bound and underwent demanding exercise routines to be able to stand and use a prosthesis . She gradually began running and exercising, all the while fighting to make her city of La Plata a more inclusive place. Rhabdomyolysis is a rare disease, but no one is immune. Want to know why? Take a look .
6. Mylenka Budrovich, the strength of perseverance
Myelomeningocele is a birth defect in which the spine and spinal canal fail to close during pregnancy, leaving the spine incomplete. This causes the spinal bones to fail to form properly and protrude. A diagnosis like this would break anyone, but not this young Chilean woman, who, faced with this, can only say: "I'm someone who, when I set my mind to something, doesn't rest until I achieve it."
Despite her mobility difficulties, Mylenka has become a singer, model, makeup artist, and mother . Her disability has never been a limitation for her, but rather a significant challenge in achieving her goals.
Although her illness made it difficult for her to walk, she gradually succeeded thanks to her strength and tenacity. In fact, with the help of her brother, she learned to sing and play the guitar. She participated in competitions and television programs, and enrolled at the University of Valparaíso to study for a degree in music. But at 22, she was hospitalized with a hip infection , which forced her back into a wheelchair.
Nothing stopped her, and she managed to start over, fall in love, and even become a mother. For a long time, she couldn't stand being photographed and hated seeing herself in a wheelchair. But today she feels beautiful and sexy, because that perception goes beyond the exterior; it's an internal work of love and wisdom. In fact, she's currently a professional makeup artist and manicurist and has her own beauty business.
Stories that inspire you to go further in life
In many cases, perhaps the greatest challenge has been going beyond social judgment and even the low expectations. Achieving this has been a titanic task, and these people have proven they are the architects of their own destiny... just as you can too.
Their success is the result of many factors: patience, perseverance, family, challenges, love, friendship… but one constant is discipline . Hence the famous phrase, "When you lack motivation, you have plenty of discipline."
And that's how these six people built their success: with iron discipline , working hard from dawn to dusk, laying brick upon brick, and the firm conviction that one day they would get there... and they did. Our admiration for each and every one of them.
