0:02

Take it and peers book at the day.

0:04

I'm Andrew a bomb scalp. Bassett grew up

0:06

in a government run orphanage in Nanjing,

0:08

China. Her right leg was amputated when

0:10

she was a small child and she

0:13

never got a proper prosthetic until much

0:15

later. She's now a paralympian getting bronze

0:17

medals in the hundred meters and long

0:19

jump. It's a pretty wild story, and

0:21

it makes sense that the title of

0:24

her memoir is Lucky Girl and in

0:26

his interview with and peers lock me

0:28

saying she tells a story about growing

0:30

up using a prosthetic that's a poster

0:32

like look like an anatomical leg trying

0:35

to pass essentially. And she

0:37

felt expose the first time she ran

0:39

in one of those running blades. Because

0:41

that mance there was nowhere to hide.

0:43

All she could do was run. That

0:45

after the break. This

0:48

message comes from Npr sponsor H B

0:50

O from executive producers Park Chan Wook

0:52

and Robert Downey Jr. This Sympathizer is

0:54

the new H B O original limited

0:56

series based on the Pulitzer prize winning

0:59

novel On A Sympathizer Podcast. Host Fill

1:01

When joins the cast, crew and author

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via Tomlin to discuss the making of

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1:16

Scout. Bastards new book is

1:18

called Lucky Girl. But

1:21

long before she ran in the Twenty

1:23

sixteen Paralympic games, the celebrated athlete says

1:26

she never felt all that lucky. It

1:28

was just the name she got. My.

1:30

Chinese name do Fujio.

1:33

Written. In the characters,

1:35

the Chinese characters means

1:37

lucky. Bastards. Has some

1:40

people here lucky and think it's ironic

1:42

when she was an infant in Nanjing

1:44

China Pass. It says she survived a

1:46

fire. She. Also lost her right

1:48

leg. I was left

1:50

on the streets of Nanjing

1:52

and found at a year

1:54

and a half old with

1:57

burns from my waist down

1:59

and take. To the

2:01

local government orphanage in

2:03

Nanjing. You

2:05

rapists some charisma

2:07

conditions there am.

2:10

Forced. Labor, food shortages, unsanitary

2:12

conditions. were fascinated by one

2:14

store you sound of friend

2:17

there another girl named Hope

2:19

lists we we gave her

2:21

the name hopes and in

2:23

the Buckeye that wasn't her

2:25

actual Chinese name but with

2:28

hold her that because she

2:30

release was there for me

2:32

and in this orphanage I

2:34

was really the only person

2:36

in the room where their

2:39

physical disability. Where I

2:41

was immobile and and didn't have

2:43

a prosthetic and tell a little

2:45

bit later on. but when I

2:47

got there I just got around

2:49

by using my hands in my

2:51

one like different just scoot across

2:54

the floor and we had trough

2:56

style bathrooms sewn not actual toilets.

2:58

There are several times that I

3:00

sell she would see like that

3:02

I'd fallen in. She did her

3:04

best every time like we had

3:06

the signal when I needed to

3:08

go and shoot just carry. Me

3:10

to the bathroom and and hold

3:13

me. And when so much of

3:15

your dignity is stripped to be

3:18

able to have somebody that. Gives

3:21

you a little bit of that

3:23

home For something as basic as

3:26

using the restroom issue is just

3:28

such an amazing. Like

3:31

angel. Best that remember is waking

3:33

up one morning to discover that

3:35

hope was gone. She

3:37

doesn't know what happened door. For.

3:40

You were adopted by white family

3:42

from the United States and he

3:44

moved to Michigan just before your

3:46

ace. Birthdays are correct correct to

3:49

erode the you did not sit

3:51

in there and you so homesick.

3:54

For China A, Tell us more about

3:56

that. For

3:58

context when. We lived in

4:01

the orphanage. We didn't have access to

4:03

the outside world. We we

4:05

couldn't even read. And

4:07

as a result, if you've only

4:09

lived in one place your entire

4:12

life and you've never left the

4:14

grounds of that place, and then

4:16

you're just taken away. Having

4:19

all these new experiences

4:21

that you can't even

4:24

conceptualize is absolutely nauseated.

4:26

It's chromatic and. It

4:28

was told. Growing.

4:30

Up at a small rural town in

4:33

Northern Michigan. Best it says. she tried

4:35

to hide her disability, but it was

4:37

difficult was a conventional prosthesis. Your.

4:39

Had and me and had a foot.

4:41

We had a cosmetic hover over it's

4:44

to make it look like a anatomical

4:46

when. She. Was an active

4:48

kid and she wanted freedom to

4:50

move around so she was introduced

4:53

to something new. I

4:55

receive one of those carbon

4:57

fiber J shaped running blades.

4:59

Then came the moment of

5:02

truth. says. It was fourteen

5:04

years old, ready for her

5:06

very first place. And then

5:08

I had this panic attack

5:10

because and wearing these little

5:12

shorts, running shorts, analysts a

5:14

yellow sports bras, I realized

5:17

oh wait a minute. I

5:19

can't cover my running like you're

5:21

essentially expose vols yeah totally exposed

5:23

and it's either own it of

5:26

yes a pure I am at

5:28

attract me and realizing oh another

5:30

thing that can be so obvious

5:32

that I'm not like everybody else

5:35

and that's what was terrifying was

5:37

having to show the world so

5:39

I really am and not to

5:41

be able to hide it. I

5:44

mean, things changed internally, right? I

5:46

mean, something shifted. Yes, because when

5:48

I put on the roof lag,

5:51

I was able to move. Faster.

5:54

Than I ever had my whole

5:56

life. And so to wait that

5:58

long to feel wind. I

6:01

you're Moving is just

6:03

incredible. Thus, It

6:05

fell in love with running she says

6:07

it helped to realize sheet no longer

6:10

needed to hide her disability. And

6:14

for this audio captured. By the San

6:16

Diego Union should view of it

6:18

now seems to embrace Steed Intake

6:20

is ending competition at the age

6:23

of thirty five, the track and

6:25

field athlete is a World championship

6:27

medalists and the Americas. Record holder

6:30

in the two hundred meter interface

6:32

Swap asset for the Usa or

6:34

imagine what it said the I

6:36

got here she is and twenty

6:38

sixteen Summer Fair Olympics in Rio

6:40

wearing a bright yellow headband save

6:42

face it takes her position on

6:44

lean fourth like to several of

6:46

our competitors ready to give it

6:48

all she's got for Team Usa.

6:50

A white car running out fairly

6:52

basket out pass out what silver

6:54

ring out very quickly as in

6:56

the moment when you're on the

6:58

starting line see. And you're about to take

7:00

off. What is that like? It's

7:03

almost like blacking out because the

7:05

phrase happened so quickly you really

7:07

don't have a lot of time

7:09

to for many thoughts. The for

7:12

me, when I get in the

7:14

blocks I always have something before

7:16

every race I wanna focus on.

7:19

And I only have that one

7:21

thought. I have

7:23

Das though Paris, twenty twenty four

7:25

Paralympic games artists around the corner

7:28

know what's next for you as

7:30

a full court press. ah all

7:32

and for the trials at the

7:34

end of to lie ahead. a

7:36

bit of a setback in in

7:39

the winter ah with person all

7:41

medical things I had to deal

7:43

with him but now where guy

7:45

then excited for what's to come.

7:48

Are you able to talk a

7:50

little bit about what you you.

7:52

Encountered and winner. Yeah, I

7:54

had actually on my residual and

7:56

I had a tumor removed. Luckily

7:59

it was. The nine but Sam

8:01

again lucky girl that is bad

8:03

Hi kids to have something like

8:06

that happen the year of the

8:08

games. but. I feel energized.

8:11

Boy. We we went through something major

8:13

and we're now running better than

8:15

we were at this point last

8:18

year. There is nothing that has

8:20

happened in this case that is

8:22

gonna build dorrell me or take

8:24

me out. And I'm really, really

8:26

grateful for that. Skip

8:28

as it is a professional. Runner for

8:30

book is called Lucky Girl

8:33

Scout. Have left

8:35

moving forward and everything you do

8:37

you so much. What

8:51

does that mean to be black

8:53

and about an Emp yours Black

8:55

stories like choose a collection of

8:58

stories as varied was a dynamic

9:00

as like experiences you'll hear it

9:02

means everything. Source and pure Blacks

9:04

Those black since one of sparta.

9:11

This. This message comes from NPR

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