From Amputation to the Paralympics: Stef Reid’s Story

As a teenager, Stef Reid had dreamed of becoming a professional rugby player. She never expected a weekend at the lake with her friends to change her life forever.

Listen as Stef shares about surrendering her life—and dreams—to God, learning to thrive after her foot amputation, and her journey to becoming a Paralympian.  

Connect with us through email at gps@billygraham.org or on Facebook at Billy Graham Radio. 

If you’d like to know more about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ, or deepening the faith you already have, visit FindPeacewithGod.net. 

If you’d like to pray with someone, call our Billy Graham 24/7 Prayer Line at 855-255-7729. 

Photo credit: Mark Shearman 

Transcript

Stef Reid:  
[00:00:00] I saw the boat coming directly towards me. I knew instantly something’s wrong. He is coming way too fast. He doesn’t see me. And in that moment, all I was thinking about was these are your options for survival. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:00:14] That is a heavy prospect for anyone to face, let alone a 15-year-old girl. The propeller of the boat left Stef Reid with severe lacerations. So severe her right foot had to be amputated. Yet, as dismal as things were at the moment, this life-threatening accident provided Stef with a foundation for a testimony of perseverance and of trust in God. Stef shares her story on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m Jim Kirkland. At the core of Stef Reid’s life story is the assurance and confidence to move forward in hard circumstances, knowing that God is with you. This is a foundational element of the Christian life, as Billy Graham explains. 

Billy Graham: 
[00:01:04] The effective Christians throughout all of history have been men and women of great personal courage and discipline. A true Christian never plays it safe. He never sits on the fence. He commits himself.   

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:01:18] The power to live life with full commitment and confidence comes from a resolved faith in Jesus Christ. If you’d like to grow toward that kind of faith, visit our website. FindPeacewithGod.net. When you’re there, click on begin a relationship with Jesus. That’s at FindPeacewithGod.net. And as always, the quickest way to get there is through the link in our show notes.  

Audio and Music Tag:
[00:01:43]

Jim Kirkland
[00:01:49] As a child, Stef Reid and her family lived a nomadic lifestyle. She was born in New Zealand to parents from the United Kingdom. Eventually, they settled down in Canada’s largest city, Toronto. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:02:01] I didn’t necessarily grow up in a Christian home. I definitely grew up in a home that appreciated a lot of the values. And I always say my mom basically had two dreams. And her dreams were, one, that we would both have braces and Hollywood smiles. That was really important to her. And the other was that we would be really well educated. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:02:21] Where they lived, that would usually mean a private school. But the tuition was something Stef’s family didn’t have the money to easily afford. They did, however, find a reasonably priced Christian school in the area. So, that’s where her folks decided to send them. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:02:38] So, I actually had a very, very Christian education. Um, religious studies were part of that. And we learned Bible verses. And I knew how to handle the Bible. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:02:48] While Stef had a lot of knowledge about God, she didn’t have what is most important: a personal relationship with God.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:02:58] I knew a lot about God. And I was very aware of Him. And I was very aware of what He wanted from me. I just wasn’t necessarily sure that was what I wanted to do. I think growing up, I kind of had this perception of God that He just has this habit of asking us to do stuff we don’t want to do. And I’m like, ugh, that sounds awful. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:03:20] In middle school, Stef focused on her dreams by becoming a student athlete. She played everything. You name it. Basketball. Cross-country. Volleyball. Tennis. Swimming. But at the age of 13, she was introduced to Rugby. And she was hooked. She had found her sport. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:03:40] So, I kind of settled on the idea that, okay, this is what I’m going to do. 
When I am like 30, 35, I’m going to have a family. And you know, life is basically over. Um, I was a teenager at this point. Thirty-five seemed ancient. Um, that’s when I’ll get really serious about faith. That’s when I’ll give my life to God. But for now, I’m just going to kind of do my own thing and live out my own dreams. Because I don’t want to talk to Him too much about them, because what if He picks something else? 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:04:07] With those dreams in mind, she planned to keep God on the sidelines.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:04:13] And I thought this is it. This is for me. This is what I want to spend my life doing. And you know, fine, everyone wants to go to the Olympics. Everybody wants to be a sports superstar. But when I was 15, I-I caught the eye of some of the national coaches. And it looked like this particular dream actually had a shot at coming true. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:04:35] During the summer she was 15 years old, everything Stef ever wanted in life looked like it was about to happen. She wondered could life really be this good and easy. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:04:47]  And that was also the summer that everything changed in an instant. And everything that I thought was going to happen suddenly became impossible. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:05:00] It was an August morning in 2000.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:05:04] I was going to my friend’s cottage. And she had this amazing cottage by the side of a lake. And they had a boat. And we actually spent most of that weekend tubing, which is when you attach a rubber innertube to the back of a speedboat. And you go flying across the water. And I mean, it was awesome. We spent most of the weekend doing that. And the morning that I was getting picked up, you know, it had been so much fun. We thought, let’s just do this one last time. And so, I went out first. And I had hit a wave, and I had fallen off. You know, like you do. Standard. And I was waiting in the water for the boat to come back and pick me up like it always did. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:05:46] But this time, there was a miscommunication between the person who was charged with spotting Stef and the driver of the boat. The driver didn’t realize Stef was off the tube and in the water.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:05:59] I saw the boat coming directly towards me. And I knew instantly something’s wrong. He’s coming way too fast. He-he doesn’t see me. And in that moment, all I was thinking about was these are your options for survival. And I thought, okay, my best shot is I don’t have enough time to swim out of the way. I will … I’ll surface dive. I will get as far below the water as possible, as far below those propellers. I’m going to hold my breath. The boat will pass over top. It’s going to be fine. But I couldn’t get under because I had a life jacket on. And in that moment, there was absolutely nothing I could do. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:06:38] The last thing Stef remembers seeing is the boat cutting through the water heading toward her. Then, she pushed herself below the surface. And everything became really dark.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:06:50] I remember just kind of going under. Just, I don’t know, for whatever reason, somehow my mind … just play it, you know, respond like you would respond if you saw a bear. Just like don’t move. And you know, maybe the propellers won’t find you. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:07:05] At some point, Stef had to come back up for air even though she wasn’t sure if it was safe. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:07:12] I remember resurfacing and knowing just how lucky I had been. But I also knew something was really wrong. I unfortunately was caught in propellers. And it cut my lower back and my right leg. And I was scared because even though I couldn’t see my injuries, um, they pulled me onto the boat. And they wouldn’t let me … I could see all their faces. And I knew that, you know, we were-we were hours away from the kind of help that I needed. And I didn’t have hours. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:07:51] Stef was in shock, but she remained conscious. She knew she might not live, which in turn got her thinking about God and His place in her life. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:08:02] You know, that super awesome plan I had concocted of figuring out the important things in life and figuring out where I stood in terms of eternal life, and God, and Jesus, and what this all meant. I thought I had more time. You know, it never occurred to me that at 15, this might be it. And I was wildly unprepared. And I was scared. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:08:27] Stef could hear her friends on the boat. They were frantic because they were afraid she was going to bleed to death. In the chaos, they came up with a plan that they believed would give her the best chance of survival. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:08:39] We’re nowhere near the kind of hospital that I need. And they just thought the ambulance is going to take too long. So, actually, what they did was they turned a deck chair into a makeshift stretcher. They loaded me into one of their vans. And then, they just started driving in the same direction as the ambulance. They thought we’d meet them on the highway. This is going to be faster. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:08:58] Stef was rushed to a local clinic. It was in that ambulance that Stef Reid prayed for the first time in her life. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:09:07] God, I just … there’s nothing else I can do. Like I would just really love it You saved my life and give me another chance. Just to live with my eyes more based on reality instead of this idea that, you know, I got to pick and choose and, you know, had all this time. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:09:24] God answered Stef’s prayer, but not in the way she expected. After being transferred to a hospital, one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Canada operated on her. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:09:35] I walked away with no spinal damage. And I was thinking, wow, this is awesome. Like, well done, God. Like this is, you know, if I had known this was what it was going to be like, this is great. And that was also the reason why I just … I didn’t understand when my mom came into the recovery room, and her face did not look like someone who thought this is awesome. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:10:01] Nothing could’ve prepared her for what her mom said next.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:10:06] Stefanie, my darling, I am so sorry. The surgeon did everything he could. But he was unable to save all of your foot and was forced to amputate. And in that moment, everything I wanted in life was suddenly gone and taken. And I was angry. And I just thought, God, like, why would you save my life and then take away the thing that I love the most? Like, it just doesn’t make any sense. Or you know, if you’re all-powerful, why would you save my life and then not save my foot? Like, how am I supposed to play rugby if I can’t run? And at that point, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to walk. I had no idea what was going to be possible. And I just didn’t want to spend my life sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else fulfill their dream. Um, the whole thing just felt really, really unfair. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:11:03] Stef had a long recovery process ahead of her, both physically and mentally.    

Stef Reid: 
[00:11:09] There’s a phrase that a lot of people say. Hope dies last. And basically what they’re getting at is if you-if you have hope, like a sliver of hope, you know, you can still hang on. And you can keep going. But if you don’t have that, it’s over. And there was a period after the accident where I didn’t have hope. Um, I didn’t want this life. I wasn’t excited about it. I just wanted to sleep and forget. I was miserable. I was – I’m in physical pain. I wasn’t eating. I-I didn’t want to see anybody. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:11:41] Stef was sinking deeper into her frustration when she received a wake-up call. It was from a nurse who entered her hospital room on what Stef admits was a day when she was not her best self.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:11:56] Nurse Claudette walked into my hospital room. And she was carrying a breakfast tray. And I looked at her, and I said I don’t feel like eating today. And I closed my eyes, thinking that she would get the hint. You know, she would just leave. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:12:10] But Nurse Claudette wasn’t going anywhere. She looked directly at Stef.  

Stef Reid: 
[00:12:16] And she said really kindly but also very firmly, Stefanie, it is time. It is time to move forward. Others have, and you can too. She set down the tray. And she walked out of the room. And at this point, I am not going back to sleep because I am furious. I thought, you know, who-who does this nurse think she is. You know, I have just had a life-changing traumatic injury. And I have earned this pity party. And nurses are supposed to be kind and accommodating and not say stuff like that. But at the same time, I just can’t stop thinking about her because she was the first person who walked into that hospital room and actually expected something better for me than moping. And that just felt really good. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:13:11] The idea of hope and possibility came pouring back into Stef’s mind. She still wasn’t excited about her future, but at least she was going to start trying for something. And she knew she couldn’t do that alone. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:13:26] I remember saying to God, you know, all those years I spent thinking, ooh, I really like my life. Actually, I’m going to hang on to it. And maybe you can have it at 35 when I’m done. Suddenly, I’m in this space where I’m like, actually, God, I really don’t like this life right now. And here you go. You have it. Maybe you can still do something awesome with it. I’ll try, but I’m really going to need your help. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:13:50] Even though Stef knew God was with her, she still struggled with the fact that she would have to deal with the consequences of that day on the lake for the rest of her life. While she was never angry at the boat’s driver, he was a friend she knew well. And what had happened was an accident. She still wondered why God would allow it to happen, and what this meant for her future.   

Stef Reid: 
[00:14:14] You know, the realization came quite quickly that sports probably not going to be your future. And so, what do you do? I had to just completely let go of what I thought I knew about life and what mine was going to look like. And actually, a really cool thing that I learned was that I could’ve lost every limb on my body. And I still fundamentally would have been the same person. Like nothing about me changed. I-I was still somebody who was, you know, competitive. I was somebody who loved to work hard and like work towards a goal. And that was never going to leave me. But reality is reality. And I now, basically, I thought, well, that’s still me. I just need to find a different way to express this. So, it was just being open to, okay, God, I really wanted my life to look like this. And it was very specific. But what if I just widen what that expectation might look like?

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:15:04] Stef started to pray specifically about her options. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:15:09] It’s just thinking, okay, has God not answered this prayer? Or has He just answered it in a different way? And-and maybe I just need to open my eyes a bit more and look around and just double check what might be on His radar because He’s got a much better vantage point than I do. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:15:21] When Stef prayed, she stayed completely honest with God. She still had moments of anger and frustration. And she tried to make the best of her new life, including attempting sports again. But without a lower leg, getting back into sports wasn’t just challenging, it was incredibly painful. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:15:39] It wasn’t fun. Your body takes time to adjust. Specifically, your stump. You’re now walking on skin and bones. Like, feet are amazing. Feet are amazing in the way that they absorb impact. And even things like heel skin, the skin on your heel is amazing in terms of its toughness and its resilience. So, I’m now walking on bones and skin that don’t do that. And it’s-it’s really hard for your body and your stump to adapt. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:16:05] Stef knew that she might have to let sports go due to the pain of adapting to a prosthetic. With that in mind, she worked hard in high school and earned a full academic scholarship to study biochemistry at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. 

Stef Reid:
[00:16:22] I decided that actually I wanted to be a surgeon. The surgeon, Dr. Crater, who saved my life, was amazing. In you know, just both in terms of his skill set in-in the operating room and also who he was as a person. And I thought, yeah, I think I want to be like him. Like that would be pretty awesome. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:16:40] As she started college life, she received a proper blade prosthetic for her leg and found a coach who was willing to take a chance on training her. 

Stef Reid:
[00:16:50] He was kind of like, you know, like I-I’ve never worked with somebody with an artificial leg. I don’t know how this is going to go, but you’re more than welcome to come and try. And if you show up, and you’re committed, and you work hard, I won’t cut you from the team even though I think we both know you’re probably not going to make the travel standard. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:17:05] Stef agreed to the coach’s terms. She was thrilled that he was willing to take a chance and help her with her passion to learn how to run competitively. A few years into being on the team, Stef had significantly improved. And her run time was good enough for her travel with the varsity team. 

Stef Reid:
[00:17:24] I wasn’t winning, but you know, I was racing as an ill-bodied athlete. But one that also ranked me on the International Paralympic website. And then, you know, around the time that I’m graduating, I suddenly have this like, maybe you train properly for a year and just see where this goes. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:17:41] Stef poured into her year of training. And the hard work paid off. She made it to her first Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Her first event, the long jump, was supposed to be her best.  

Stef Reid:
[00:17:56] Everything had been going amazingly in the build-up to the long jump. We’d had a training camp in Switzerland. And we did the testing. And the speed was there; the power was there. The technique was there. My family had flown over. My personal coach was there. And like the stadium, the Bird’s Nest was packed out with 80,000 people at 9:00 a.m. in the morning. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:18:17] Stef’s performance didn’t go as she hoped. 

Stef Reid:
[00:18:22] I absolutely bombed. I felt every single jump and just felt like a total failure. I ended up recording one mark, which was just a safety jump, which was good enough for second-to-last place. And I felt ashamed. And I felt embarrassed. And again, there’s this whole thing like, oh, God, did you seriously bring me through all of this to come onto the world stage and fail in front of everybody? 

Jim Kirkland:  
[00:18:53] Afterwards, Stef’s coach called her over to the side of the track. She could not make eye contact with him because she was so ashamed of her performance. 

Stef Reid:
[00:19:02] And he said something that I wasn’t expecting. He said, Stefanie, I know this was hard. But I need you to know that while I am disappointed for you, I’m not disappointed in you. And it was just such a relief to hear that from my coach. And again, I knew that was also at the same moment God saying this-this isn’t what it’s about. It’s not just about that gold medal. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:19:29] Stef still had to compete in the 200-meter race that night. 

Stef Reid:
[00:19:33] I knew my shot at a medal was over. I was going in ranked as seventh. Absolutely nobody was going to care or notice about the athlete charging home in seventh place. I knew that. But I had something inside. I just-I didn’t care because this was for me. I thought I am going to go back there. And I am going to get a personal best for me. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:19:56] Stef walked to the start of the race with a refreshed mindset. Along the way, she even said hi to the people in the crowd. 

Stef Reid:
[00:20:04] I was all the way out in lane nine because that’s where they put slow people. But it was fine because I thought, well, I’m closer to the crowd. I can feel the energy. This is going to be fine. And so, I lined up in the blocks. And the race went off. And I-I just attacked. I went for it. And I ran a fantastic bend. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:20:19] At this point, Stef was in sixth place, but the race was far from over. 

Stef Reid:
[00:20:26] About the 150-meter mark, the leader trips and falls. And she takes out the athlete next to her. And I’m thinking, this is crazy. This never happens. And at this point, I’m sitting in fourth place. And I’m thinking, Stefanie, get your butt up there into the medals. This is your shot. Don’t-don’t miss it. And I ended up sneaking a bronze medal by like the smallest … we’re talking like hundreds of thousands of a second. The smallest margin ever. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:20:56] Stef couldn’t believe what just happened. For her, that race was about more than getting a bronze medal and setting a new personal best. 

Stef Reid:
[00:21:06] I was so proud of myself because had I not showed up at that start line like fully committed to doing my best and just rewriting those expectations, I never would have been in the position to take my shot when all of the chaos picked off the front. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:21:21] Stef attributes that race day to being a lot like her walk with God. 

Stef Reid:
[00:21:26] It’s not perfect. It never is. And yet, you just end up in these ridiculous situations that God somehow works out. And actually, that first medal at those games was the launch of my career. Because had I not won that medal, I never would have had the chance to then train with this other group, this really amazing group. I never would have progressed the way that I did. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:21:47] Since then, Stef has gone on to be a four-time Paralympian, triple Paralympic medalist, and five-time world record holder. But in 2015, Stef was hit with another physical setback. 

Stef Reid: 
[00:22:01] I remember in 2015 having a horrendous back injury. And just being so angry at God that I couldn’t compete in the world championships. And not knowing if my career was over. It was a disc issue, which is the worst because they heal unpredictably. So, I didn’t know if I’d be out for six months, two years, or forever. You don’t know. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:22:33] While Stef was out with her injury and out of competition, a broadcast company asked if she would be a commentator for the world championships. By saying yes to this opportunity, Stef discovered a new love covering and analyzing sports on TV. 

Stef Reid:
[00:22:40] And you know, again, this awful thing happened, which God is just kind of watching it. And in the end, it ended up being the start of my sports broadcasting career. And I feel like that has just been the story of my life. And the thing that I’ve tried to get better at is-is just withstanding or holding back on my judgment. And like, okay, God, I don’t know where this is going. And again, I’m not happy about this, but this is probably leading somewhere. So, I will do my best to contain my anger and frustration and try and trust you. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:23:12] Stef’s life is a testament to trusting God, especially through change. In the summer of 2022, Stef retired from her Paralympic career to focus on sports broadcasting and speaking engagements. Every season of her journey has led her to a true understanding of one of God’s promises to His children. 

Stef Reid:
[00:23:33] His promise is I will always be with you. It’s not I’m going to grant you your wildest dreams. It’s not I’m going to gift you everything you want in life, whether it’s a Paralympic gold medal, a Lamborghini, or a world record. Like He’s not even promising us an easy life or a pain-free life. God’s actual promise for me, for everybody, is that He will be with us. 

Music tag:
[00:23:54] 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:24:03] If you’d like to experience God’s promises as you navigate life, you can start your own journey with Him today. Go to our website. FindPeacewithGod.net. When you’re there, click on begin a relationship with Jesus. That’s at FindPeacewithGod.net. And you can also find the link in our show notes. In just a minute, you’ll hear a final word from Stef about what you can expect or not expect when you walk through life with God. 

Audio tag:
[00:24:34] 

Billy Graham: 
[00:24:42] The effective Christians throughout all of history have been men and women of great personal courage and discipline.  

Announcer:
[00:24:50] Billy Graham … 

Billy Graham: 
[00:24:51] Christ never allowed anyone to be a bystander or a spectator. Christianity, if it is anything, is something to which you must respond and commit yourself. A true Christian never plays it safe. He never sits on the fence. He commits himself. In the New Testament, we read that God laid down certain specific suggestions as to how the Christian life is to be lived. He never promised a life of ease. He said that we were to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil by living a yielded life filled with the Holy Spirit and a self-disciplined life. We live in a world of revolution. The world is changing every day. Often it is difficult for us to adjust ourselves to so many new situations that face us every day. This is why we so desperately need the control of Christ and Christian self-discipline. Today, I’m calling upon Christians everywhere to come to Jesus Christ in dedication, surrender, and self-discipline. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:25:51] Just as Billy Graham said, the world is a challenging place to live in without the solid foundation for life provided by Jesus Christ. Learn more about how Jesus can give you direction, and discipline, and strength to overcome the world at FindPeacewithGod.net. When you’re there, click where it says begin a relationship with Jesus. The website again is FindPeacewithGod.net. And you can find a link to the website in our show notes. Our guest on this episode of GPS is Stef Reid, a Paralympian who has learned to trust God in the unexpected moments of life. She has one more word of wisdom.   

Stef Reid: 
[00:26:34] If you’re going to do life with God, expect the unexpected. And it’s something that I have to remind myself constantly. Like, am I going to trust my perspective or am I going to trust the perspective of God, who sits way, way higher and sees the beginning from the end and all of time? Yeah. That is both the draw and the warning for people. God will move in-in big ways. And so, it’s exciting but, you know, be-be ready. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:27:00] That is great advice. Be ready because God can move in big and unexpected ways, as we’ve heard happen in Stef’s life. And for greater purposes and outcomes than we could ever imagine, which is also Stef’s story. We are grateful to Stef Reid for joining us on this episode. She’s a retired Paralympian sprinter and long jumper who now works as an inspirational speaker, sports broadcaster, and high-performance coach. She lives in the United Kingdom with her husband, Brent, who also happens to be a Paralympian. If you’d like to see more from Stef, you can watch her commentating on the Winter Paralympic Games on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or CBC, from March 6th to March 15th. And if you want to hear more faith-filled stories like this one, subscribe to GPS on YouTube or your favorite podcast app. In the middle of life, GPS is here in the middle of the week every other Wednesday. I’m Jim Kirkland. And this is GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Always good news. 

Music tag:
[00:28:14] 

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