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The inspirational true story of Blake Leeper—born without legs and told by doctors he would never walk—and his incredible journey to becoming the first disabled American athlete poised to compete on the US Olympic Team.
Blake Leeper was born with a congenital birth defect that left him with no legs below the knee. The doctor told his parents the best-case scenario would be Blake using a wheelchair the rest of his life. His parents refused to accept that and fitted Blake with prosthetics. Not only did Blake get the chance to walk, he was able to imagine a possible future in sports.
But it wasn’t until 2008, while he was studying applied physics in his college dorm room, that he saw Oscar Pistorius—born with the same birth defect—sprint across the television screen, and decided that this was what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to run. Although it took him two years to get his first set of $40,000 carbon fiber running blades, he was soon smashing records. In his first Paralympic games in 2012, as a complete unknown, Blake took home a silver and a bronze, and currently holds a world record in 100 meters—tied, incidentally, with Oscar Pistorius.
This is Blake’s story. From growing up poor in rural Tennessee to traveling the world competing for his country, Blake has stayed firm in his belief that the only disability in life is a bad attitude. He opens up about the challenges he faced throughout his life journey, the never-ending support of his parents, his positive attitude, and his unwavering faith that sustained him through it all.
Leap of Faith is an inspiring true story that will encourage anyone who has ever faced a challenge to believe that God doesn’t make mistakes, and that with enough faith, no hurdle is too high.
