Katie Holloway Bridge Wants You to Call Her a Paralympian
The Lake Stevens, Washington, native was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia, which required doctors to amputate her lower right leg before she was two years old. For most of her life, Holloway Bridge pushed against that disability and jumped headfirst into playing able-bodied sports—excelling in both volleyball and basketball—with her prosthetic leg. She even became the first female amputee to play basketball at the NCAA Division I level at her college, California State University, Northridge. Then, a coach introduced her to sitting volleyball, noting how far she could go in the sport if she embraced her different body and learned to work with it and nurture it. Holloway Bridge did just that, and at age 38, the seasoned outside hitter now has four Paralympic medals (two gold and two silver) under her belt, and is gearing up for the performance of a lifetime with her Team USA this August—all a year and a half after giving birth to her baby girl, Claire, with husband Ryan Bridge.
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