Katelyn Pavey is the inspiration for reality. Born with one arm, she endured and overcome her struggle. And against all the possibilities, I played college softball.
Pavey’s incredible journey is told in the film “I Can,” which shows God’s grace through many of the trials of life. For years, she rejected attempts to make a film about her story, believing there was really nothing special to share.
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“I didn’t want to be seen sitting on a pedestal,” she said. “And I thought there were many more people in our congregation who needed to tell their stories, and I wasn’t the only one who rejected it three times. That was my father too. That was.”
But her pastor, Tyler Sansam, who was also a “I Can Do” director, was able to convince her to join Pavey. However, that wasn’t easy as the family initially hesitated to open their stories.
But she and her dad, Eric, realize they can make an impact.
“(Tyler) said, “Well, if you can inspire one person, if you can help one person find and follow Jesus, would you do that?” She remembered. “And I said, “Absolutely.” ”
At the heart of Pavey’s story, it’s a difficult reality.
“I was considered unmarried because of the incident,” she said. “My parents were married before, and then when they got together they had me.”
Besides the complexity of the situation, the feeling that her parents were born on one arm is somehow a punishment for their crimes. However, her paternal grandmother reminded Eric of something important about Pavey despite her disability, despite “God doesn’t make any mistakes.”
Eric’s guilt in the past was initially suppressing the fact that he had made a film like “I Can,” but Eric was the importance of telling a family story and Pavey’s way of overcoming the odds. I’ve come to recognize incredible abilities.
Despite the past, Pavey grew up in a Christian family, with her family attending church weekly. Of course, being born with one arm presented a challenge.
“When I was shaken, I faced a lot of adversity,” she said. “I faced many challenges that I had to overcome and adapt.”
Pavey’s parents told her that she could do anything she set her mind, even if it might look different from the others. But even in kindergarten, she had a teacher complaining about tying Pavey’s shoes for her. The educator asked his parents to send their daughters in velcross kneeling cars.
Rather than giving up, Pavey doubled and learned how to tie up his shoes.
“The next day I walked to the teacher and said, ‘I can look, I can tie my shoes,'” she recalled. “So it was just something – I had to face growth because I was calling them ‘I can’t do the moment’. ”
Sometimes, parents even stopped the kids from playing with her because she looked different. Over time, she had to learn to adapt to such moments.
“You continue to adapt to all the adversities that have been thrown into life, overcome them and succeed,” Pavey said. “You don’t go back to your old ways, don’t give up, just keep pushing to succeed, show people what you can do. And that’s exactly what I’ve done, especially through the sport of softball. ”
Pavey’s love for softball began when she was only three years old, and her skills were already fully on display. Eventually, she hone her talent and learnt how to adapt to playing with just one arm.
“(It took countless times) in my backyard with my dad. “And that was when I was like eight years old, I started playing more competitively. Travel teams I’ve started doing it.”
She continued, “But when there were a lot of words from my parents, there were words from other players, from coaches.”
And those words were not always encouraging.
“I remember vividly playing the team, the coach called the timeout, I got the bat and he moved all the players,” Pavey said. “He says, “You come in, you go in, you go in. She can’t hit, you can’t hit!”
She felt naturally underestimated for her arms. At other moments, parents will complain about her – to the point that one coach asks her to leave the team.
“I don’t like team drama,” the coach said. “You’re causing a lot of drama. …My parents complain that a girl with one arm is playing with two on her daughter. So I need to ask you to leave. there is.”
This kind of dynamic is enough to break some people, but Pavey continued to use negative words to treat him as “fuel for getting better” in sports.
“These words hurt — they hurt a lot, it made me sad, it made me feel bad,” she said. “But I knew there was a greater purpose. I knew there was a talent in softball. I knew God gave me this talent, And I wanted to use those words as fuel to prove to them that I deserve to be there.
After leaving the team, Pavey continued his work and training, building his skills and stamina. Soon, her goal was higher, hoping to play college softball. Again, she hit a disability.
“I’ve heard the same thing from my college coach. ‘Man, you have great skills. I want to take you to my team, though’ – and there was always But “I don’t know how to coach. I don’t know how my players will react to having a girl with one arm, or “I don’t know how my players will react to having a teammate with one arm.”
Pavey continued. “The coach never gave me a chance.”
However, she continued forging towards her goals, becoming an all-state player during her high school career, and eventually on a college scholarship to play softball, a full ride to Cincinnati Christian University. I’ve signed it.
It is truly the ultimate, overcoming story, and viewers can experience it through “I Can.” Pavey hopes the film will deeply inspire the audience.
“God doesn’t make any mistakes,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter who you are, how you look or where you came from. God has a purpose in your life and he puts you in his perfect image. .”
Pavey continued. “And you need to trust him that he has that plan for you.”
She wants people to feel inspired to overcome their struggle and reach their destiny.
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