KATE WILMARTH

Name: Kate Wilmarth
Hometown: Granite Bay, CA
Type of Disability: bilateral foot amputee
Age: 16
Occupation: assistant instructor at Kovar’s Satori Academy of Martial Arts
Main Style of Martial Art: American Freestyle, kenpo, and several others
School Affiliation: Kovar’s Satori Academy of Martial Arts
Current Rank: 2nd degree black belt
Time Involved in the Martial Arts with a Disability: since 2001 when started training
Website: www.youtube.com/blackbeltgirl1
Other Activities: piano player since 1999 and is involved with a disability awareness program called A Touch of Understanding
Contact: karate_chick1994@yahoo.com

When Kate was 4 days old her feet started to turn black up to her knee caps. She was rushed to the doctor, and then to the hospital. When she got to the hospital her feet and legs weren’t black anymore, but the part of her feet needed to be amputated. She doesn't know for sure what was the actual cause of the infection, but she thinks that it was caused by a non-sterile needle being used for a PKU test. She does karate to prove that people who have a disability can still do things that other people are able to do. According to her instructor, she serves as an inspiration, especially to the younger students that she helps teach.
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