with introduction by special guest: Candace Cameron Bure
“What happened to your leg?” is a question that Mandy Young is asked everyday. But there is no easy answer. She has lived a life that most would not choose to live. From staying months at a time in hospitals, to 20+ years of research, to being diagnosed as the only person in the world that has her genetic defect. And while her life has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, she wouldn’t change a single day.
Growing up, she was consumed with illness. But the most devastating was when she lost her left leg and hip to a massive infection.
Her story has been featured in countless newspaper articles like USA Today, in Good Housekeeping Magazine and on international programming like CNN’s Medical Mysteries. She has been honored to be the spokesperson for several organizations and the “Face of Hope” for the new Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the National Institutes of Health. But Mandy knew that God was calling her to share her life’s journey personally as well.
So, with her contagious spirit, warm smile and Jesus loving heart, she began sharing her testimony in hopes of helping others overcome obstacles they may be facing.
You can find Mandy on Twitter, Facebook, her personal website: MandyYoung.com or you can email her at: Mandystory@aol.com
Mandy’s topic will be: What Happened to Your Leg?
Mandy will deliver her inspiring testimony of triumph over tragedy. What happened to your leg? It’s such a loaded question. She was only 8 years old when she lost her leg, but her story doesn’t begin or end there. She has been a research patient at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland for 19 years. Scientists there have decided that she is the only person in the world to have her specific Genetic Mutation (Immune Deficiency). But that discovery didn’t happen overnight. It took many years.
Her journey along the way to her diagnosis is the real story. It’s rare, because her life is unique. Her name is Mandy, and this is her story…..
