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This 16-year-old gymnast is seriously #goals
It's easy to see that gymnastics is a rigorous and competitive sport, but no one knows that better than 16-year-old Kate Foster.
Kate has always been dedicated to being a gymnast. Since she was seven, she's been going to extra practices and spending time training at the gym. But after Kate was diagnosed with cancer at just 12 years old, she received the news that she had a leukemia-related infection—and that, in order to save her life, doctors would have to amputate one of her legs.
For Kate, she thought that losing her leg meant losing out on her dreams. "You're not taking off my leg. I need that...for gymnastics," Kate told doctors according to ABC News. But thanks to a coach who refused to give up, Kate was able to continue training.
"My coach said something to me that really changed my mindset," Kate explained. "She said that she had never coached a one-legged gymanst before, but she was willing to try if I was."
Today, Kate competes against her peers using a prosthetic leg that allows her to complete her routines—and she's held to the same standards as all her fellow competitors. "They don't change the rules for her," shared her dad, Lynn Foster. "They're not saying, ‘Okay, you don't have to do this part of it or you don't have to do that part.'"
Kate's dedication and devotion to being her absolute best in gymnastics—no matter the circumstances—have made her a hero to athletes all over the country. But Kate says she's just happy to compete. “People tell me all the time that I'm an inspiration," she says. "But I'm just me."
Though Kate's not planning on going pro—after all her time spent in hospitals and with medical officials, she's setting her sights on an M.D.—we can't help but think of her as total athlete inspo. After all, she's living proof that nothing can stop you from going for your goals—and for the gold.
Watch Kate tell her full story in an ABC News interview here.
What do you think about Kate's story, GL girls? Who inspires you to be your best?
Photos credit: Lynn Foster, ABC News
POSTED IN sports, gymnastics, LIFE, Get Inspired, Tough Stuff, In the News, Wellness, identity, Goal Getter
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