Every little gymnast has a big dreams, but 8-year-old Aspen Wilkinson is no ordinary gymnast.
"Aspen is obviously a really brave and strong little girl who doesn't stop ever!" said her mother, Mary Novas.
Aspen doesn't let her protesthic foot keep her from the sport she loves.
Three years ago, the budding athlete lost her right foot during a trip to see her grandparents.
"Riding on the lawnmower with her granddad was part of the fun with the trip, and when we pulled up, he happened to be mowing the yard," Novas said.
"She couldn't hear us yelling. He couldn't hear her behind him, and he went to do a pivot and turn back up, and he just ran over her," the girl's mother said.
Aspen endured four surgeries and months of recovery, but all that time, Novas says Aspen's main concern was returning to gymnastics.
"I told her that she didn't have to give up. She was just going to have to find another way," Novas said.
She did find another way, and now, with a help of prosthetics, she travels to meets and competes with the very best.
"I've told her several times if I could go back and change things for her, I wouldn't. Along the way, she's been able to inspire me, her family, her friends — everyone around her — and she's not even trying!" Novas said.
Some days are tougher than others, but Aspen has a response for anyone who asks about her foot.
"I just say that I had an accident and I can do anything that anyone else can do," Aspen said.
"I'm gonna get a better foot, and I really want to get one of the blades so then I can bounce around and it's easier to balance," she said.
Aspen and her family share their story with other families dealing with similar situations.
