For all of the hardships that can befall kids on school playgrounds — especially those who are in any way “different” — there is now an amazing story of the beauty, acceptance, and love that can occur there, too.
The story is that of 7-year-old Anu, a schoolgirl in Birmingham, England, who arrived at the playground one day to show off the thing that makes her different: her pink prosthetic leg.
Anu, who lost her leg shortly after she was born, has had prosthetics her whole life, but was fitted with a brand new pink “blade” that allowed her to run around better with her friends, according to a report by the BBC’s Midlands Today.
Anu is seven and goes to school in Birmingham. Look what happened when she showed her friends her new sports blade. It's just gorgeous!🏃♀️ pic.twitter.com/Aa1UlnhlQy
— BBC Midlands Today (@bbcmtd) May 3, 2017
When she shows up with the blade, her friends go wild.
“Wow!" one said.
"Is that your new pink leg?” said another.
They congratulate Any with hugs and then take off running, skipping, and holding hands wandering around the schoolyard together.
"It makes me run faster and do my street dancing faster,'' Anu told the BBC.
According to the report, Anu’s family was able to afford the blade, which costs between $2,500 and $6,500, thanks to the UK’s National Health Service’s special funding to ensure kids can access activity prosthetics. The funding is set to run out in a year, though prosthetics like Anu’s need to be replaced every two to three years.
Anu’s father told the BBC he would sell his house to make sure Anu could get prosthetics, artificial knees, or whatever it took to attain a normal life.