Born with a passion for sports, Lin Muqing never tires of it even with only one leg.
According to Taiwan United News Network, a one-legged Taiwanese woman has traveled to over 20 countries and regions with her single remaining leg, visiting more than 20 provinces on the mainland. She “has been a dancer, a TV show host, and has even challenged herself with diving, rock climbing, and other extreme sports.”
She said, “Although I have one less leg, I work very hard and try my best to make this journey of life wonderful.”
For most 16-year-old girls, this might be a carefree time worrying about pimples and first love. But Lin Muqing, who had dreamed of becoming a comedian since childhood, was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 16. Her parents couldn’t accept this cruel reality and took her all over the place, seeking various folk remedies and even “supernatural powers.” They fed her all kinds of “strange medicine,” burned NT$20,000 (New Taiwan Dollars, same below) worth of joss paper, and some even claimed her leg was “possessed by a ghost” and needed an exorcism... After two or three months of this, Lin Muqing’s leg became even more swollen, she kept having fevers, and the pain was so intense she wanted to cut off her own leg with a kitchen knife. This ordeal led to the amputation not just below the left knee, as originally planned, but of the entire left leg due to cancer spread.
The amputation process itself was an agonizing ordeal. Lin Muqing first underwent chemotherapy, vomiting relentlessly until she weighed only 25 kilograms, and her hair kept falling out. Her father, unable to bear seeing his daughter suffer from hair loss, simply shaved her head completely bald. During this time, in order not to upset her loving family, Lin Muqing often played the role of the comforter, trying to find joy amid the suffering, telling herself to smile through life to keep her family from being even more heartbroken. It wasn’t until the day of the surgery that all the suppressed pain and anguish burst forth. She touched her empty left leg with her right foot and finally truly realized that her “left leg” was completely gone, causing her to break down in tears on the hospital bed.
After losing her left leg, Lin Muqing began enduring the pain of wearing a prosthetic limb and the different looks from others. Running, jumping, shopping, and traveling—things any young girl could normally do—she could only sadly give up. The silent days made the naturally lively girl very uncomfortable. She wondered if she should just hide in a dark corner. “Does losing a leg mean I have to lose all the happiness in my life?” But then she realized that the real obstacle wasn’t losing a leg—it was losing confidence.
From then on, Lin Muqing began trying activities she could manage, such as swimming, and things stereotypically thought to require “two legs,” including hiking and biking. These helped her rediscover the cheerful, sunny girl she once was. She even started joking about her prosthetic leg. She also realized that if she didn’t see herself as disadvantaged, others wouldn’t look at her with overly cautious pity. This positive attitude “not only freed myself but also freed those around me.”
By chance, Lin Muqing reconnected with dancing, which she had loved since childhood. Even though balancing and maintaining grace with one leg was extremely difficult, the thunderous applause she received upon stepping on stage filled her with emotion and pride, making all the hardship worthwhile. Even though she had to give up the stage four or five years later because her right leg could no longer handle the strain, the brilliant memories were enough to keep her passionate about life. During that time, despite having only one leg, she once partnered with a dancer who only had one arm to perform “Absolutely Right-Wing: A Stunning Duet of Three Hands and Three Feet.” With their strong and graceful movements, they showed the world that “imperfection is also a kind of beauty.”
After leaving the stage, Lin Muqing switched to more sedentary jobs like switchboard operator and procurement assistant. Even though she faced all kinds of indifference and setbacks, she could laugh them off. But these didn’t align with her lively personality and dream of a colorful life. So she decided to try a different path. “Why shouldn’t I be brave and give it a shot? The worst that can happen is failure—but if I don’t try, I’ll just be stuck in misery.”
Lin Muqing signed up for television and radio program production courses offered by the Broadcasting and Television Foundation. After three months of classes, a new public TV program in Taiwan specifically for people with disabilities was looking for a host. Lin Muqing applied and got the job. From then on, she embraced a completely different life. With the help of a coach, she challenged herself with physically demanding activities like stream tracing, rock climbing, diving, paragliding, and cliff diving. These gave her great affirmation and made her realize that most limitations are “mental” limitations. As long as she believed she could do something, she had a chance to overcome it.
Even with only one leg, Lin Muqing has been to more places than many able-bodied people. She has even traveled alone outside of Taiwan, visiting 22 countries and regions so far. “How life turns out depends on the decisions you make, not the circumstances you face.” This is a phrase she often uses to encourage others when sharing her life story in speeches over the past four years. She emphasizes that everyone faces various difficulties and tests, big or small, but everyone is the architect of their own destiny. “No one or nothing can stop you from achieving happiness except yourself.” Stop lamenting the impossible—be brave and take action, and any impossibility can become a “dream come true.”