Beatrice, The Remarkable Story of an Italian Fencing Champion Whose Limbs Were Amputated at Age 12

Beatrice Vio

The short documentary “Beatrice” tells the story of Beatrice Vio a talented Italian fencing champion, who started the sport at the age of five. When she turned 12, her arms and legs were tragically amputated due to the necrosis that formed in her limbs by a severe case of meningitis. Rather than giving up fencing however, Vio faced head it head on, challenging herself to make the sport conform to her new body. Once that was accomplished, Vio on once again repeatedly excelled, just from a different vantage point at the Paralympic Games . Vio stated that although she’s really hard on herself, there’s always room for improvement, but she freely admits that she needs to prove to everyone, including herself, that she can make it.

When I grab the sword, I feel my fingers gripping the handle. I feel I do the movements with my hand but I actually do them with my elbow. I don’t think about the movements, I feel them. It’s as if the metal blade was my skin and the grip my hand.

via The Awesomer

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

Recent Posts