Woman Becomes First Soccer Player With Limb Difference To Start Game For U.S. National Team
A 28-year-old woman made history this past June for the United States women’s national soccer team.
Carson Pickett, was born without a left forearm and hand, and has become the first player with a limb difference to start a game for the women’s national team.
The game was against Colombia in Sandy, Utah, in which Pickett helped the U.S. win 2-0.
“I saw the crowd and everyone chanting ‘USA’ and I just knew that my biggest dream just came true,” Pickett told GMA. “I think it was so cool to see my parents in the stands and just all the little kids screaming your name and things like that. And honestly, it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Pickett has been playing soccer since she was five, and never let her limb difference slow her down.
She hope to not only inspire other young soccer fans, but to also advocate for others like her with limb differences.
“While I know that I am confident and comfortable with showing my arm, I know there are so many people in the world who aren’t,” she wrote on Instagram. “The feeling of being different and the anxiety of not fitting in is something that I have been through.”
“I want to be an advocate for others like me, and for the longest time I didn’t use my platform well enough,” she continued. “Let’s all try to love ourselves no matter what we look like and let’s all be kind to each other above all else.”
Pickett plans to use her social media as a platform to reach more people from different states and countries. She says she wants to have more conversations about limb differences, and that the more people talk about it, the better it’ll be for everyone.
Hear her share her inspiring story in the video below:
