Before 17-year-old Valrie Kim Johnson returns to Jamaica with brand new prosthetic leg, she hopes to finish the LA Marathon 5K on Saturday.
"You have to walk for three miles, and it's only for two hours," Valrie said, "and my speed is not there as yet, so I hope I do great."
Valrie was born with one leg shorter than the other. A group called the Jamaica Awareness Association of California brought her to a Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles, where she underwent surgery, received a new leg and the therapy to get the teen back on her feet.
"Since I went to Shriners, and they did a X-ray, and found out that there was infection in my knee.
There was no knee bending, so they amputated," Valrie said.
Valrie and her aunt are staying with Linda Coy, a nurse who sees the 5K as therapy.
"She's been practicing her walks more than normal," Coy said. "She's extended her walking time, and she's going further."
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"She will cross that finish line by herself, I think, I may change my mind tomorrow," Coy said with a smile.
