Inspiring Your Own Breakthrough, part 2
Greg Strom is an American writer, producer, and director. He is the creator of The Mile That Matters, a powerful influence for positive change. He is a great man and a wonderful friend.
Life had been astonishingly unfair to Karen. But, as she will tell you, it's how you react and what you do that makes all the difference in your life. This was never more obvious than in what she did three years ago last year.
Karen became aware of a fashion show created by designer Carrie Hammer that featured her "Role Models not Runway Models" fashion line. The event included the first ever runway model in a wheelchair. What Karen witnessed caused her to send an email to the designer, titled "You Inspire Me."
"Seeing the wheelchair model on the runway made me teary-eyed," Karen wrote, "because it boosted my self-confidence, something I lacked prior. I have a passion for fashion. I hope one day I will get to show the world 'Why can't people with disabilities, people like me, be beautiful and model?' Maybe one day, if I ever get to go to New York, I will be able to meet you."
Hammer was moved to tears. "I wrote her back and said, 'Thank you so much. This made the whole show worth it. I would love for you to walk as a role model in our next show,'" the designer offered. A date was set for Fashion week, 2014, in New York City.
Just like with any model, before Karen could walk down the runway she needed a fitting. But not just for a dress. During their first Skype call, Hammer asked why Karen wasn't wearing prosthetic arms. She was stunned to hear the answer: they were stolen off her front porch, and never replaced.
So Hammer reached out to Hanger Orthopedics in Austin, Texas, the top prosthetic company in the country. After several calls they found a way to replace Karen's prosthetic arms. And just days before the fashion show, Hammer flew to California, unannounced, to surprise Karen. She told her, "We have your dress fitting, but we have a more important fitting. It's for your arms."
At the show, Karen wasn't just another pretty face. She was the first-ever quadruple amputee to walk down the runway. She received a standing ovation as she passed. Never has a runway model been more beautiful or graceful.
"Karen Crespo is one of the most gorgeous women I know, hands down," Hammer marveled. "Karen is going to inspire so many people. I hope she inspires the whole world."
"I want people to know we can still be beautiful regardless of whether we're an amputee or in a wheelchair," Karen responded. "We can still rock the runway."
Karen Crespo is an inspiration. Her story is universally appealing to individuals in all languages and all cultures around the planet. We all can be inspired when we encounter someone who has overcome difficult odds or mastered control over some challenging aspect of their lives. Why is this?
