Vaughan Chambers never thought she’d be the kind of woman to pump iron. Last December, she was 60 pounds heavier and down on life.
“Being depressed, feeling sorry for myself and just giving up,” she said.
Then in January, Chambers made a New Years resolution to lose weight and the sour attitude.
Powerlifting has helped her achieve her goals.
“You’re doing a lot of repetitions so you’re actually burning a lot of calories,” Chambers said. “I’m sweating.”
But what’s even more remarkable about Chambers’ newfound passion for powerlifting is that she does it with only one leg.
Two years ago, doctors amputated her left leg after she suffered complications from a pit bull attack.
“From the beginning of being an amputee, nobody suspects that’s going to happen to them,” Chambers said. “So you have two choices: you can lay down or get up.”
At age 42, Chambers got up.
“It’s nothing short of incredible of what she does and what she can do,” said Willie Rodriguez, owner of the Raw Unity Bar Bell Club in Hillsborough County.
Powerlifting isn’t easy, but the sport is even more demanding, physically and mentally, for an amputee.
“There are times I think, ‘She is not going to lift this up,’ ” Rodriguez said.
But Chambers gets the job done and leaves others in awe.
“Whether you have one foot or two, it only takes one step,” Chambers said.
Chambers plans to keep going in her weight loss goals. In fact, she has already come up with her resolutions for next year: to lose another 50 pounds and qualify for the U.S. Paralympics.
Courtesy of: Bay News 9