A Pakistani teen has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for amputees around the world. She has proven that disability cannot stop someone from achieving their dreams.
I was born in Pakistan and then in 2005 I lost my leg in the earthquake there – Insha Asfar
Insha Afsar, 17, hails from Kashmir where the deadly 7.6 magnitude earthquake of 2005 killed around 80,000 people and made millions homeless. Insha was only a child at that time and had lost her leg due to the natural disaster.
Six months later, I came to the U.S. So it kinda helped me get over it, just being like, away from it. I came to the U.S to get a prosthetic and that’s how I first met my current guardians Ted and Rebecca
Six months after the deadly quake, Isha made it to the U.S to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. This was made possible by one of the editors of TIME magazine who photographed her.
And from there on it was just like living the normal life and skiing was just part of it like everyone skied so I just started.
During her visit to the United States, her now guardians Ted and Rebecca offered to keep her in the U.S and send her to school. That’s when she started skiing because it was common in the area where she lived.
I’m a person that likes going fast, doing everything fast whether its school work or test taking… I just like speed
Insha can now ski at a whopping 60 miles per hour on a single leg. It’s speed that sometimes even people on two legs can struggle to catch on to.
Since then she has competed in several NASTAR races and has also participated in Hartford Ski Spectacular in 2013 and the U.S Paralympic Alpine National Championships in 2015.
She is now aiming to compete as a Paralympic athlete from Pakistan. She is determined to win big for Pakistan, and we wish her all the best.
In the future, Insha also wants to become a mentor to other athletes who have the same dreams as her.
But her message is clear, no matter who you are, where you are, you can achieve anything in your life if you are passionate and determined.