Currents News Staff
Inspirational stories of athletes are one of the best things about sports, and they exist at every level.
As far as her coaches knew, Lily Rosenthal was just another goalie at former Olympian Jinelle Siergiej’s Crazy Eights hockey camp in Hartland, Wisconsin.
When Lily’s parents signed her up, she asked that they didn’t mention one small detail – she has two prosthetic legs.
“I just wanted to surprise them,” explained 12-year-old Lily.
In her goalie pads on the ice, no one can tell she is a bilateral amputee.
“That’s a thing about hockey I kind of like,” said Lily’s mother, Laura Rosenthal. “I want people to see her as a player, and not as a player with prosthetic legs.”
Lily’s parents adopted her from northwest China as a toddler. She was born without a fibula in both legs, club feet and missing toes. At three years old, her legs were amputated at the ankle.
“Once the cast was off and she was fitted for prosthetics, she was off and running,” said Laura Rosenthal. “If she wanted to try something, we didn’t stop her. I don’t think we could.”
Lily wanted to be a goalie, like her sister. She stops pucks with whatever she’s got – glove, blocker and legs too.
Instead of focusing on her legs, Lily decides to keep her head in the game.
“If you think of them, you’ll just get scored on,” said Lily. “You just have to be in the game.”
Siergiej, a 2010 silver medalist, is very much inspired by Lily, and said that she is an inspiration to the girls on her team.
“I’m just very inspired by her. I have a camp of 88 girls here [and] they all noticed Lily,” she said.
“I think it would be hard for them not to be inspired by her. She works hard and she’s not letting it limit what she wants to do.”
Lily’s family says the coaches on all her teams have been supportive. Right now, she plays with the DC Diamond Girls in Waunakee.