Perhaps you read about her in LIFE. Her name is Jill Kinmont. In 1955, she was one of America's finest skiers – slalom champion in both women's and junior divisions and a shoe-in for the U.S. Olympic team. One January afternoon her life was changed for on the ski slopes in Alta Utah, she crashed into the trees crushing her spine and leaving her a quadriplegic, unable to feel or move anything below her shoulders. It would have been quite easy for this beautiful young girl to give up and quit...But she didn't. Although she has lived these past nine years in her wheelchair, she has never felt sorry for herself. In her own words, she “hasn't been gypped”. Today Jill is a high school teacher and the most important thing in her life is being a good one. She teaches from her wheelchair, and when classes are over her students give her the help she needs to move about. In spite of her total disability, she leads a full and even happy life and she is making a great contribution as a teacher and as a fine example of all that the human spirit can endure. What does she say of people who pity her? She says,"I am afraid that’s their problem." Of her future Jill says, "I certainly can't live on being Jill Kinmont, champion skier, but I want to be somebody again, I would like it. It's possible – so why not?" To that I would like to say Jill Kinmont is somebody; surely one of the most courageous and exceptional girls in the world!
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