5 Inspiring Athletes Who Overcame Disabilities

Melissa Stockwell

She is a war veteran with the U.S. Army, Purple Heart recipient, paralympian, paratriathlete and an above the knee amputee. In 2004, Melissa Stockwell lost her leg when a roadside bomb exploded during a convoy. A diver in high school, she began to swim at Walter Reed Hospital as part of her physical therapy. Eventually, she trained to compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games for the U.S. team in which she became the record holder for the 100 meter butterfly and the 100 meter freestyle. She gained national attention when she became the face of the Hartford U.S. Paralympics Partnership ad campaign. “I can really do anything I want to do, missing leg or not,” she says.