Beatrice Competes in the Paralympics after Losing Both Legs in a Terrorist Attack
Beatrice de Lavalette had both her legs amputated as a result of a terrorist strike. She is now competing in the Paralympics.
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The story of Beatrice de Lavalette
How did Beatrice lose her legs?
Equestrian Beatrice de Lavalette was 17 years old when Brussels Airport was hit by twin explosions on March 22, 2016. The incident killed 32 people, and ISIS later claimed its responsibility for this attack.
This date changed Beatrice's whole life, leaving her with life-changing injuries, including second-to third-degree burns, spinal cord damage, and the loss of both of her lower legs.
De Lavalette says it was "very difficult" for her to ride a horse throughout her recovery period. She was in a coma for over a month and remembers crying every day after waking up, wondering what life still offers.
Beatrice's life revolved around horseback riding, which was a passion of hers, hence not being able to do so hit her hard.
The painstaking recovery process
De Lavalette spent months relearning how to ride, a process which she described as "very difficult."
"I had no muscle, I was just skin and bones, so being back on the saddle with no sense of balance was really uncomfortable. But with time, I was able to build up the muscle and work on my balance, and it got easier with time," she says.
According to Beatrice, her body was completely different after the accident. "It was just readjusting what I had learned my entire life," de Lavalette says. It is noteworthy that she uses a whip to guide the horse instead of shifting her weight to guide its movement.
Paralympics on the checklist
It took Beatrice months to learn riding again before appearing for the first time in the US Para-Dressage Team in January 2020, where she contributed to the team competition victory.
She's recently gotten used to training with her new horse, Clarc, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood that de Lavalette describes as "amazing."
De Lavalette announced in July that she has been chosen to represent Team USA at the Paralympic Games sharing the news on Instagram.
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