Beatrice “Bebe” Vio, 19, is not used to do things in a conventional way. In 2008, a the age of 11, Bebe came down with a very severe case of meningitis which made her lose her arms and legs.
But that didn’t stop her from following her dream of becoming a fencing champion: in fact, she won the gold medal for Italy at the Rio Paralympics this past summer.
On Tuesday night she was a guest of honor at President Obama’s final state dinner at the White House and Bebe gathered enough courage to ask the President to take a selfie with her – which he did, with the President holding her smartphone.
The photo, shared through Instagram, has been shared hundreds of thousands of times around the world. The caption says it all about Bebe’s will and determination: “It’s not possible? I’m sorry, I don’t understand these words”.
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