In 2000, 4-year-old Qian Hongyan lost both of her legs in a car accident in China.
Her family was too poor to afford prosthetic legs, so they found another way to help her move.
They cut a basketball in half, placed it under her body, and gave her wooden handles so she could push herself forward with her hands.
For years, Qian moved around like that.
In 2005, photos of her using the basketball went viral in China, and she became known as the “basketball girl.”
The attention changed her life.
She was later taken to Beijing, where she received free prosthetic legs and began learning how to walk again.