When I became an amputee at age 29, I was forced to rethink the idea of physical perfection. My life became different, as I changed from an acceptably attractive woman to an object of pity and __1__.
Too busy __2__ physical pain and obvious mobility limitation, I was not aware of this change at first. I was determined to _3__, feeling good about the progress I had made, as I moved forward.
__4__, as I made my first excursion outside the hospital, society had already assigned me a new status. Happy to be free of my restriction in the hospital, I rolled through the shopping mall – a __5__ survivor, feeling like a war hero. Unfortunately, I had a rude _6__ as I discovered that others did not view me in the way I had come to view myself.
All eyes were upon me, yet no one dared to make eye contact. Their efforts to _7__ my eyes forced me to realize they saw only my missing legs. Mothers __8__ held their children closer as I passed. Elderly women patted me on the head saying, “God Bless You!” with _9__ in their eyes.
While I sat thinking about what had happened, a small girl came up to me. She stared with unembarrassed __10__ at the empty pants. Finding nothing there, she looked up at me with a puzzled look, she innocently asked, “Lady, where did your legs go?”
I explained that my legs had been sick. Since my legs hadn’t been strong and healthy like hers, the doctors had to __11__ them. Leaning her head upwards, she asked, “Did they go to ‘Leg Heaven’?”
That incident made me think about how __12__ children and adults react to the unknown. To a child, an odd appearance is an interesting curiosity and a _13__ learning experience while adults often view the same thing with fear and horror. I began to realize that, I, too had been __14__ of the same inappropriate reactions before I knew what life was like for an amputee.
To fulfill the wholeness of my mind and spirit, I now smile warmly, make eye contact, and speak in a confident manner. By using a __15__ approach, I attempt to enlighten society about the fact that having a not-so-perfect body doesn’t mean having a poor quality of life.
1. A. comfort B. fear C. hatred D. sadness
2. A. crying with B. figuring out C. holding back D. dealing with
3. A. endure B. quit C. revenge D. succeed
4. A. Instead B. Moreover C. However D. Therefore
5. A. calm B. poor C. proud D. rare
6. A. awakening B. ending C. happening D. proceeding
7. A. turn B. hold C. catch D. avoid
8. A. softly B. protectively C. reluctantly D. pleasantly
9. A. pity B. anger C. depression D. upset
10. A. curiosity B. determination C. enthusiasm D. satisfaction
11. A. lose B. adjust C. remove D. stretch
12. A. differently B. positively C. strangely D. sympathetically
13. A. painful B. potential C. similar D. common
14. A. conscious B. guilty C. ignorant D. short
15. A. creative B. flexible C. positive D. scientific