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by Amy Rivera (Author)
Born with a rare, incurable genetic disorder that doctors misdiagnosed until her 30s, Amy's right leg swelled until it was 200% bigger than her left leg. Her peers bullied her for having an "elephant leg," and she learned to hide her disability by wearing skirts. In an attempt to recreate her identity as a teenager, she competed in the Miss Junior American Coed Pageant, and-to her shock-she won, only to become known as "the beauty queen with the big leg." She went on to become a nurse, a wife, and a mother but felt depressed, isolated, and in pain for years as her leg swelled.
When Amy realized her calling in life was to help other disabled people, she realized she needed to help herself first. After finally receiving her lymphedema diagnosis, two surgeries, a divorce, many stressful dealings with health insurance companies, and ultimately changing her diet and exercise, Amy overcame the worst known severity of lymphedema and now manages it with minimal maintenance. She established a non-profit to support sufferers of lymphedema and became a voice for those with disabilities. This is the story of how Amy transformed her disability and dropped the skirt
