LEWISTON — Geiger Elementary School sixth-graders got a lesson Tuesday they’ll likely never forget: With perseverance and determination, being disabled doesn’t mean unable.

U.S. Army veteran Christy Gardner, 34, of Lewiston, spoke to students and showed slides of herself in the military and doing recreational activities, such as playing ice hockey, skiing and surfing.

Gardner kayaks and runs. Last weekend, she ran a 5k.

She does all that, and more — after having to make a difficult choice to have her legs amputated and adapt to the use of prosthetics.

Gardner told students that no matter what they face in life, it’s important to keep problems in perspective.

“You have to be able to laugh at yourself,” she said. “If you take yourself too seriously, you’re going to be in trouble.”

It’s also important to work hard and have fun, she said.

Gardner, a member of the U.S. Women’s Sled Ice Hockey team, said she loves ice hockey. She has traveled all over the world with the assistance of her service dog, Moxie.

“We beat Canada for the women’s world championship with a half of a second left,” she said. “It was so fun.”

Gardner has seizures; the last one occurred just two and a half weeks ago. Her service dog alerts her when a seizure is coming by grabbing Gardner’s arm in her teeth. Gardner then lies down and gets in a safe position to endure the seizure without injury.

Her health problems stem from injuries she suffered while serving in a military police squad in a hazard zone in Asia. She took a direct hit to her head, she said in a 2015 interview, which fractured her skull and spinal cord. The spinal cord injuries led to severe pain in some parts of her legs and numbness in other spots.

She had to decide whether she would stay in a wheelchair “and sit on the couch for the rest of my life.”

“Does that sound like fun?” she asked students.

“No,” they replied.

Her other choice was to have her legs amputated, get prosthetics and learn to run.

She asked doctors to take her legs. At first, doctors resisted. Gardner persisted. In 2015 and 2016, she underwent surgeries to have her legs removed, one at a time. After hard work, she learned to walk on her new legs.

“I started running last week,” Gardner said. 

There are silver linings in having no legs, she joked.

“I lost 20 pounds at once. I can change my shoe size,” Gardner said. She also won’t have to endure chunky ankles, she said.

It also gives her superhuman endurance. 

Last weekend, she and friends ran a 5-kilometer race in the rain. They got cold toes and blisters.

“I was fine,” Gardner said with a smile.

Gardner did a show-and-tell explaining how prosthetics work. After asking students’ permission, she removed her prosthetics so they could see them. She explained how she has two pairs for walking, one for swimming and a new pair for running.

She passed around the prosthetics, explaining to students how they help. Students paid close attention and asked lots of questions, including whether she regretted joining the Army.

No, Gardner quickly said. “The coolest part is you work with a group of people, the squad. We went everywhere together. You knew they had your back. It’s like the best family you could ask for.”

She said she spent three and a half years serving her country. Students responded with applause.

By age 26, she was disabled, and spent years recovering.

Gardner was an athlete at Edward Little High School and in college, and she found that being handicapped opened doors to adaptive sports. She participates in track and field and is on a national team for javelin.

Gardner’s message to students: No matter the obstacles, never give up.

She was told she’d never walk again. She’d never ride a bike, or swim, live on her own or drive a car.

“I do all of it,” Gardner said.

“She’s extremely strong,” said student Alexandria Choiniere-King, 13, who admired Gardner’s positive attitude. “She’s been through all of that and is still smiling, still walking around and having fun.”

Copy the Story Link