After Doctors Said She Wouldn't Be Able to Walk, This 8-Year-Old Girl Ran a 5K
For most children, they come home from the first week of school with a growing list of the activities that they want to join. Eight-year-old Clementine White was no exception when she wanted to register for her school's Girls on the Run club. White had been born with spina bifida, which made walking a challenge, let alone running.
But Clementine refused to let anything deter her dreams, so she joined her local Girls on the Run club AND just completed her first 5K run!
"My doctors said it wouldn't be possible for me to walk or run," White told WATE-TV. "But then I'm starting to walk and I'm starting to run."
Spina bifida is a condition that affects the spine, where the neural tube doesn't close all the way, according to the CDC. For those living with spina bifida, they could be limited in how they move. In Clementine's case, her doctors told her parents that their then 3-year-old daughter would likely need a wheelchair. And so, when Clementine brought home the Girls on the Run brochure, they were skeptical that their daughter was up for running a marathon. While her doctors and her parents tried to persuade her into trying other activities besides running, Clementine refused to give up.
"She just blows my mind with the things she was willing to do and the things that like she just lets roll off her back," her mom, Christy White, told the news outlet.
"I didn't really think I could do that, but now I can. Now I know I can," Clementine said.
Yes, you certainly can, Clementine!
[h/t Pop Sugar]
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