please welcome back Stephanie Decker and you want to come back on the show you
want to walk on your own you didn't want to have any assistance and here you are
kiss me in less than a year later yes ma'am listen of the week she is a true
hometown hero she acted quickly in a disaster made a
great sacrifice and saved her children one window broke and I knew my house was
going down this time last year monster twisters came roaring through
Henryville Indiana Stephanie Decker her home her two young children in their
path I saw a brick coming at my daughter and so I was maneuvering my back so I
would take the hit Stephanie covering her children with her
own body I remember having a steel beam so why on my legs this is what her
in-laws showed me last March said that was the entrance over there that's the
entrance over there rescuers found them her children unscathed but doctors had
to amputate both of Stephanie's legs she fought back putting herself through
grueling physical therapy inspired by her family and a song stronger by Kelly
Clarkson what doesn't kill you
miraculously just two months later the first steps
then walking onto Ellen with that song and the crowd cheering her on
and then in hot pink sneaks and a big grin standing on her own two feet to
meet the president this is just a new way of living the worst thing that ever
happened as we lose my legs I'm good but her most daring step yet marching right
into the Kentucky State House just last week nearly 2 million Americans used
prosthetics insurance companies usually cover only the initial fitting but in
most states they won't pay for refurbished prosthetics stephanie is
determined to change that helped me have other kids walk and play and if she took
us back to her destroyed home one year later there than the concrete
handprints an indelible testimony to the family survival and that song now in
anthem this is what I was meant to do and I'm excited that something from a
bad situation we can make something really good I will go somewhere else
ladies remember I wake up my husband Molly
and he said that I asked him I said - that was my legs and he said I can see
how that could tell he could want to tell me that he said yes it's time I was
incubated so I'm writing on its hand I seen his questions he was pregnant
debris like something around here I was writing on it and as I cried I agreed
for about 10 minutes and hard tears for what it looks and then right after that
you know I I said okay how are we gonna deal with this you know what what are
our challenges him let's wear our options he leads me like I was crazy
because he mean and I said well it's time to start figuring out you know how
I'm walking in and he said you're still in the ICU you have a hospital right
weren't us because we need a plan I said that's how I am you know something bad
happened yes something traumatic happened yes
but it's time to move forward it's time to start a new chapter in our lives
well I gotta figure out how to do this and he goes can you just give us a
minute no I don't consider myself a disabled
I've someone hearing it once and said well how does if you
now look that means I guess that was the wrong word yeah it was
we know I don't consume rest of the sale at all this is just a bump in the road
and we all have those bumps in the roads many of you not sure are facing those
bumps marriage right now you know a lot of people die ask me you know how do you
stay motivated posting positive how do you keep that that kind of attitude and
I hadn't really think about it because it to me it comes naturally you know to
me that's just part of who I am so I really had to kind of go back and think
about why my attitude is different maybe the person next to me I not I didn't
know if I realized that I'm a very Golson studying oriented person so I was
always like okay I'm gonna go it's over in a date I said of all the sorority and
being in the market under the microscope for national TV tends to really put the
pressure on and back to that pressure player again I thought you know that's a
lot of why my up to the way it is I compete I'm driven I have the
determination I desire someone tells me I can't do something that is all in the
direction of all I need to do it i prime example I was at the gym with my
physical therapist and there's this BOSU ball I don't know if you know it busted
all is but it's kind of a platform with a ball underneath so bouncing okay so if
you're at ATT you imagine you being on your knees and balancing that's what it
would be like for you that's what it's like for me on your knees bouncing on
this post Evo well you'll never be able to steam a minute balance alexandrova
said why he is because you will never have that good mouth
you just can't a sanity especially about that meaning one above the even more
validity I said game on good so my trainer networks and she was great she
still is great worked hurt and the next week he came in the gym care-based
doubles price me I don't like loves to golf next room that was default for ten
minutes and lifted weights
hey listen being a turn around walk out the door because I'll never say it again
let's me that's a challenge that's the best motivation that drives me to to do
things that face people say you can't do you know there's always an answer to a
problem you know there's there's always a solution to a problem it may not be
one that you like it might not be the answer that you want to hear but there's
an answer you just got to find out what it is but goal-setting is key I think to
having a good attitude about movies or something that's difficult and as I said
being in the spotlight my levels were today on Ellen walking with the
president those are behind the scenes I work my
toe off I have my when I was on Ellen I had my prosthetics for two days before I
would have just got my both oh so I hadn't been seen in three months and
then standing on what's considered 12 foot stilts was incredible feat in the
first place you ain't thinking say anything I'll be able to walk well I was
wrong I stood up almost fell over and so we you know my goal was to be able to
dance on that one the my husband with me goes there is no way you're gonna be
able to walk with our dance and I listen you watch me might not be the prettiest
dance but
and then they'd be able to walk unassisted with the president if no
crutches no nothing you know that was the next goal and did I make all those
goals that I set for myself no there were some that I did not be what I what
I did was I looked and I go okay was this something that you didn't work hard
enough that that you could have done you could have changed or was this something
that was out of your control and that's what all the goals that I
missed were things that were out of my control my legs didn't fit right they
were hurting I was you know there's there's such a recovery period when the
after you lose a limb that it takes your body time to adjust and my mind didn't
want to adjust you know think so I know so let it make
and I would be hurting myself my husband would once again remind me is it
anything that you control no it wasn't then you know let it go and
I did and then I agreed you know reevaluate reset that you go to
try to find you know when I can when I can do it again and that works for me
and again the grand scheme of things it's all coming together for me this
message that I knew I was supposed to share and figure out was was kind of all
coming together yeah I haven't I have degree my background in psychology takes
out put mental games looking but you know and I enjoy talking to
people I enjoy listening to people and I have found that everyone has the story
and what a fitting topic for today after all I've seen but everyone has the story
and I love hearing everyone's stories no pain is the same I can't walk in your
shoes I know there was so much suffering and so many hard times do you feel like
you're at the bottom and you just can't push through I know what that feels like
I've been there with you in that level but I I so enjoyed here hearing every
little story people go oh my sweating pretty errs but
I said no your story does because it's your story it's your pain is your
struggle it's your bump in the road and kill you makes you