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Five-year-old amputee sets her sights on the Olympic Games

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PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA
PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

A resilient little girl whose leg had to be amputated when she was just nine months old is now pushing the boundaries as an all-around sports star.

Little Jemma Renfro (5), from Ohio in America, has excelled in dancing, swimming, running, baseball, basketball, skateboarding and rock climbing since having a running blade prosthesis fitted.

The adorable young girl was born with deformed limbs that left her with three fingers on one hand and a wrongly positioned right foot.

"No signs of Jemma's condition ever showed up on the pregnancy scan, so we didn't know anything was wrong until she was born,” says her mom, Tamara.

"I wouldn't say it was a shock but when we saw her it was different. The doctors believe it was down to genetics.”

Jemma’s right leg was amputated at the knee, along with a sixth toe which was situated on her ankle.

But that hasn’t deterred the active child. In fact, Jemma now has dreams of taking part in the Olympics as a swimmer or runner and is currently taking part in the Endeavour Games for athletes with physical disabilities.

"I’ve always taught her not to listen to other people's negative comments,” says Tamara.

"She’s our little star."

Sources: Magazine Features

Pictures: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

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