Nadya Vessey is keen to get into the water and begin her swim. She comes to the steps which lead her down to the sea. First she removes her left leg, then her right. She places them beside her - careful not to get any sand or water on them. Before she begins her descent into the water she notices a little boy standing behind her.Read the rest here.
He is staring at her stump. "Where are the rest of your legs?" he asks.
Vessey looks at him with a twinkle in her eye. Rather than get into the logistics of amputation with a four-year-old she says: "Have you heard of the little mermaid?"
"Yes," he says, his eyes widening.
"Well, I'm a mermaid," she says.
"Wow," says the awe struck child. "That's cool."
This was back in 2005, when the idea of being a mermaid was a complete fantasy - and a way to avoid explaining the depth of her situation to a child. Now, in just a few weeks, that fantasy will become a reality for Vessey. Since the beginning of the year Weta Workshop [of Lord of the Rings fame] has been designing her a tail. Soon this woman, with a double amputation and a love for swimming, will become New Zealand's one and only mermaid.
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