← GPS: God. People. Stories.
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- [00:01]
Steph Reed
I saw the boat coming directly towards me and I knew instantly something's wrong. He is coming way too fast. He doesn't see me. And in that moment all I was thinking about these are your options for survival.
- [00:14]
Jim Kirkland
That is a heavy prospect for anyone to face, let alone a 15 year old girl. The propeller of the boat left Steph Reed with severe lacerations, so severe that her right foot had to be amputated. Yet as dismal as things were at the moment, this life threatening accident provided Steph with the foundation for a testimony of perseverance and of trust in God. Steph shares her story on this episode of GPS God People Stories. It's an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I'm Jim Kirkland. At the core of Steph Reed's life story is the assurance and confidence to move forward in hard circumstances knowing that God is with you. This is a foundational element of the Christian life.
- [01:02]
Billy Graham
As Billy Graham explains, the effective Christians throughout all history have been men and women of great personal courage and discipline. A true Christian never plays it safe. He never sits on the fence. He commits himself.
- [01:18]
Jim Kirkland
The power to live life with full commitment and confidence comes from a resolved faith in Jesus Christ. If you'd like to grow toward that kind of faith, Visit our website findpeacewithgod.net when you're there, click on Begin a relationship with Jesus. That's@findpeacewithgod.net and as always, the quickest way to get there is through the link in our show notes.
- [01:45]
Steph Reed
God People Stories
- [01:49]
Jim Kirkland
As a child, Steph Reed and her family lived a nomadic lifestyle. She was born in New Zealand to parents from the United Kingdom. Eventually they settled down in Canada's largest city, Toronto.
- [02:01]
Steph Reed
I didn't necessarily grow up in a Christian home. I definitely grew up in a home that appreciated a lot of the values. And I always say my mom basically had two dreams. And her dreams were one that we would both have braces and Hollywood smiles. That was really important to her. And the other was that we'd be really well educated.
- [02:21]
Jim Kirkland
Where they lived, that would usually mean private school, but the tuition was something Steph's family didn't have the money to easily afford. They did, however, find a reasonably priced Christian school in the area, so that's where her folks decided to send them.
- [02:38]
Steph Reed
So I actually had very, very Christian education and religious studies were part of that. And we learned Bible verses and I knew how to handle the Bible.
- [02:48]
Jim Kirkland
While Steph had a lot of knowledge about God, she didn't have what is most Important, a personal relationship with God.
- [02:58]
Steph Reed
I knew a lot about God, and I was very aware of him, and I was very aware of what he wanted from me. I just wasn't necessarily sure that was what I was wanted to do. I think growing up, I kind of had this perception of God that he just has this habit of asking us to do stuff we don't want to do. And I'm like, oh, it sounds awful.
- [03:20]
Jim Kirkland
In middle school, Steph focused on her dreams by becoming a student athlete. She played everything, you name it. Basketball, cross country, volleyball, tennis, swimming. But at the age of 13, she was introduced to rugby, and she was hooked. She had found her sport.
- [03:40]
Steph Reed
So I kind of settled on the idea that, okay, this is what I'm going to do when I am, you know, like 30, 35, and I have a family and, you know, life is basically over. You know, I was teenager at this point, and 35 seemed ancient. That's when I'll get really serious about faith. That's when I'll give my life to God. But for now, I'm just going to kind of do my own thing and live out my own dreams because I don't want to talk too much to him about them, because what if he
- [04:06]
Jim Kirkland
picks something else with those dreams in mind, she planned to keep God on the sidelines.
- [04:13]
Steph Reed
And I thought, this is it. This is for me. This is what I want to spend my life doing. And, you know, fine, everybody wants to go to Olympics. Everybody wants to be a sports superstar. But when I was 15, I caught the eye of some of the national coaches, and it looked like this ridiculous dream actually had a shot at coming true.
- [04:35]
Jim Kirkland
During the summer, she was 15 years old. Everything Steph ever wanted in life looked like it was about to happen. She wondered, could life really be this good and easy?
- [04:47]
Steph Reed
And that was also the summer that everything changed in an instant. And everything that I thought was going to happen suddenly became impossible.
- [05:00]
Jim Kirkland
It was an August morning in 2000.
- [05:03]
Steph Reed
I was going to my friend's cottage, and she had this amazing cottage by the side of a lake, and they had a boat. And we actually. We spent most of that weekend tubing, which is when you attach a rubber inner tube to the back of a speedboat and, you know, you go flying across the water and, I mean, it was awesome. And we spent most of the weekend doing that. And the morning that I was getting picked up, you know, it's been so much fun. We thought, let's. Let's do this one last time. And so I went up first, and I had hit a wave and I had fallen off, you know, like you do, standard. And I was waiting in the water for the boat to come back and pick me up like it always did.
- [05:46]
Jim Kirkland
But this time, there was a miscommunication between the person who was charged with spotting Steph and the driver of the boat. The driver didn't realize Steph was off the tube and in the water.
- [05:59]
Steph Reed
I saw the boat coming directly towards me, and I knew instantly something's wrong. He is coming way too fast. He doesn't see me. And in that moment, all I was thinking about, these are your options for survival. And I thought, okay, my best shot is I don't have enough time to swim out of the way. I'll surface dive. I will get as far below the water as possible, as far below those propellers. I'm going to hold my breath. The boat will pass over top. It's going to be fine. But I couldn't get under because I had a life jacket on. And in that moment, there was absolutely nothing I could do.
- [06:38]
Jim Kirkland
The last thing Steph remembers seeing is the boat cutting through the water heading toward her. Then she pushed herself below the surface, and everything became really dark.
- [06:50]
Steph Reed
I remember just kind of going under and just. I don't know, for whatever reason, somehow in my mind, I'm like, just. Just play it, you know, respond like you would respond if you saw a bear. Like, just don't. And, you know, maybe the propellers won't find you.
- [07:05]
Jim Kirkland
At some point, Steph had to come back up for air, even though she wasn't sure if it was safe.
- [07:12]
Steph Reed
I remember resurfacing and knowing just how lucky I had been. But I also knew something was really wrong. I, unfortunately, was caught in the propellers, and it caught my lower back and my right leg. And I was scared because even though I couldn't see my injuries, they pulled me onto the boat and they wouldn't let me. I could see all their faces. And I knew that, you know, we were. We were hours away from the kind of help that I needed, and I didn't have hours.
- [07:51]
Jim Kirkland
Steph was in shock, but she remained conscious. She knew she might not live, which in turn got her thinking about God and his place in her life.
- [08:02]
Steph Reed
You know, that super awesome plan I had concocted of figuring out the important things in life and figuring out where I stood in terms of eternal life and Jesus and God and what this all meant. I thought I had more time. It never occurred to me that at 15, this might be it. And I was wildly unprepared. And I was scared.
- [08:27]
Jim Kirkland
Steph could hear her friends on the boat. They were frantic because they were afraid she was going to bleed to death in the chaos. They came up with a plan that they believed would give her the best chance of survival.
- [08:39]
Steph Reed
We're nowhere near the kind of hospital that I need. And they just thought, the ambulance is going to take too long. So actually, what they did was they turned a deck chair into a makeshift stretcher. They loaded me into one of their vans, and then they just started driving in the same direction as the ambulance. And they thought, we'll meet him on the highway. This is going to be faster.
- [08:58]
Jim Kirkland
Steph was rushed to a local clinic. It was in that ambulance that Steph Reed prayed for the first time in her life.
- [09:07]
Steph Reed
God, I just. There's nothing else I can do. Like, I would just really love it if you'd saved my life and give me another chance just to live with my eyes more based in reality instead of this idea that, you know, I got to pick and choose and, you know, had all this time.
- [09:24]
Jim Kirkland
God answered Steph's prayer, but not in the way she expected. After being transferred to a hospital, one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Canada operated on her.
- [09:35]
Steph Reed
I walked away with no spinal damage. And I'm thinking, wow, like, this is awesome. Like, well done, God. Like, this is. You know, if I had known this is what it's gonna be. Like, this sounds great. And that was also the reason why I just. I didn't understand when my mom came into the recovery room, and her face did not look like someone who thought, this is awesome.
- [10:01]
Jim Kirkland
Nothing could have prepared her for what her mom said next.
- [10:06]
Steph Reed
Stephanie, my darling, I am so sorry. The surgeon did everything he could, but he was unable to save all of your foot and was forced to amputate. And in that moment, everything I wanted in life was suddenly gone and taken. And I was angry, and I just thought, God, like, why would you save my life and then take away the thing that I loved most? Like, it just doesn't make any sense, or, you know, if you're all powerful, why would you save my life and then not save my foot? Like, how am I supposed to play rugby if I can't run? And at that point, I didn't even know if I was going to be able to walk. I had no idea what was going to be possible. And I just. I didn't want to spend my life sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else fulfill their dream. The whole thing just felt really, really unfair.
- [11:03]
Jim Kirkland
Steph had a Long recovery process ahead of her, both physically and mentally.
- [11:09]
Steph Reed
There's a phrase that a lot of people say, it's hope dies last. And basically what they're getting at is if you, if you have hope, like a sliver of hope, you know, you can still hang on and you can keep going, but if you don't have that, it's over. And there was a period after the accident where I didn't have hope. I didn't want this life. I wasn't excited about it. I just wanted to sleep and forget. I was miserable. I was, you know, I'm in physical pain. I wasn't eating. I didn't want to see anybody.
- [11:41]
Jim Kirkland
Steph was sinking deeper into her frustration when she received a wake up call. It was from a nurse who entered her hospital room on what Steph admits was a day when she was not her best self.
- [11:56]
Steph Reed
Nurse Claudette walked into my hospital room and she was carrying a breakfast tray. And I looked at her and I said, I don't feel like eating today. And I closed my eyes, thinking that she would get the hint and, you know, she would just leave.
- [12:10]
Jim Kirkland
But Nurse Claudette wasn't going anywhere. She looked directly at Steph and she
- [12:17]
Steph Reed
said really kindly, but also very firmly, stephanie, it is time. It is time to move forward. Others have and you can too. And she set down the tray and she walked out of the room. And at this point, I am not going back to sleep because I am furious. I thought, you know, who, who does this nurse think she is? You know, I have just had a life changing traumatic injury and, you know, I have earned this pity party. And nurses are supposed to be kind and accommodating and not say stuff like that. But at the same time, I just, I can't stop thinking about her because she was the first person who walked into that hospital room and actually expected something better from me than moping. And that just felt really good.
- [13:11]
Jim Kirkland
The idea of hope and possibility came pouring back into Steph's mind. She still wasn't excited about her future, but at least she was going to start trying for something. And she knew she couldn't do that alone.
- [13:26]
Steph Reed
I remember saying to God, you know, all those years I spent thinking, oh, I really like my life, actually, I'm going to hang on to it and maybe you can have it at 35 when I'm done, suddenly I'm in the space where I'm like, actually, God, I really don't like this life right now. And here you go, you have it. Maybe you can still do something awesome with it. I'll try, but I'm really going to need your help.
- [13:50]
Jim Kirkland
Even though Steph knew God was with her, she still struggled with the fact she would have to deal with the consequences of that day on the lake for the rest of her life. While she was never angry at the boat's driver, he was a friend she knew well, and what had happened was an accident. She still wondered why God would allow it to happen and what this meant for her future.
- [14:14]
Steph Reed
You know, the realization came quite quickly that sport's probably not going to be your future. And so what do you do? I had to just completely let go of what I thought I knew about life and what mine was going to look like. And actually, the really cool thing that I learned was that I could have lost every limb on my body and I still fundamentally would have been the same person. Like, nothing about me changed. I was still somebody who was, you know, competitive. I was somebody who loved to work hard and, like, work towards a goal, and that was never going to leave me. But reality is reality, and I now basically, I thought, well, that's still me. I just need to find a different way to express this. So it was just being open to, okay, God. I really wanted my life to look like this, and it was very specific, but what if I just widen what that expectation might, might look like?
- [15:04]
Jim Kirkland
Steph started to pray specifically about her options.
- [15:08]
Steph Reed
It's just thinking, okay, has God not answered this prayer or has he just answered it in a different way? And. And maybe I need to just open my eyes a bit more and look around and just double check what might be on his radar because he's got a much better vantage point than I do.
- [15:21]
Jim Kirkland
When Steph prayed, she stayed completely honest with God. She still had moments of anger and frustration as she tried to make the best of her new life, including attempting sports again. But without a lower leg, getting back into sports wasn't just challenging, it was incredibly painful.
- [15:39]
Steph Reed
It wasn't fun. Your body takes time to adjust, specifically your stump. You're now walking on skin and bones. Like, feet are amazing. Feet are amazing in the way that they absorb impact and even things like heel skin. The skin on your heel is amazing in terms of its toughness and its resilience. So I'm now walking on bones and skin that don't do that. And it's really hard for your body and your and your stomach to adapt.
- [16:05]
Jim Kirkland
Steph knew that she might have to let sports go due to the pain of adapting to a prosthetic. With that in mind, she worked hard in high school and earned a full academic scholarship to study biochemistry at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
- [16:22]
Steph Reed
I decided that actually I wanted to be a surgeon. The surgeon, Dr. Crater, who saved my life, was amazing and, you know, just both in terms of his skill set in, in the, in the operating room and also who he was as a person. And I thought, yeah, I think I want to be like him. Like, that would be pretty awesome.
- [16:40]
Jim Kirkland
As she started college life, she received a proper blade prosthetic for her leg and found a coach who was willing to take a chance on training her.
- [16:50]
Steph Reed
He was kind of like, you know, look, I, I've never worked with somebody with an artificial leg. I don't know how this is going to go, but you are more than welcome to come and try. And if you show up and you're committed and you work hard, I won't cut you from the team, even though I think we both know you're probably not going to make the travel standard.
- [17:05]
Jim Kirkland
Steph agreed to the coach's terms. She was thrilled that he was willing to take a chance and help her with her passion to learn how to run competitively. A few years into being on the team, Steph had significantly improved and her runtime was good enough for her to travel with the varsity team.
- [17:24]
Steph Reed
I wasn't winning, but, you know, I was racing as an ill bodied athlete, but one that also ranked me on the international Paralympic website. And then, you know, around the time that I'm graduating, I suddenly have this like, maybe you train properly for a year and just see where this goes.
- [17:41]
Jim Kirkland
Steph poured into her year of training and the hard work paid off. She made it to her first Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Her first event, the log jump, was supposed to be her best.
- [17:56]
Steph Reed
Everything had been going amazing in the buildup to the log jump. We'd had a training camp in Switzerland and we did the testing and the speed was there and the power was there, the technique was there. My family had flown over, my personal coach was there. And like the stadium, the Bird's nest was packed out with 80,000 people at 9am in the morning.
- [18:18]
Jim Kirkland
Steph's performance didn't go as she hoped.
- [18:22]
Steph Reed
I absolutely bombed. I fouled every single jump and just felt like a total failure. I ended up recording one mark, which was just a safety jump, which was good enough for second to last place. And I felt ashamed and I felt embarrassed and again, this whole thing like, oh God, did you seriously bring me through all of this to come onto the world stage? And fail in front of everybody.
- [18:53]
Jim Kirkland
Afterwards, Steph's coach called her over to the side of the track. She could not make eye contact with him because she was so ashamed of her performance.
- [19:01]
Steph Reed
And he said something that I wasn't expecting. He said, stephanie, I know this is hard, but I need you to know that while I am disappointed for you, I'm not disappointed in you. And it was just such a relief to hear that from my coach. And again, I knew that was also at the same moment, God saying, this isn't what it's about. It's not just about that gold medal.
- [19:29]
Jim Kirkland
Steph still had to compete in the 200 meter race. That night.
- [19:33]
Steph Reed
I knew my shot at a medal was over. You know, I was going in ranked in seventh. Absolutely nobody was going to care or notice about the athlete charging home in seventh place. I knew that. But something inside, like, I just, I didn't care because this was for me. I thought, I am going to go back there and I am going to get a personal best for me.
- [19:56]
Jim Kirkland
Steph walked to the start of the race with a refreshed mindset. Along the way, she even said hi to the people in the crowd.
- [20:03]
Steph Reed
I was all the way out in lane nine because that's where they put slow people. But it was fine because I thought, well, I'm closer to the crowd. I can feel the energy. This is going to be fine. And so I lined up in those blocks and the race went off and I just attacked and I went for it and I ran a fence. Fantastic bend.
- [20:19]
Jim Kirkland
At this point, Steph was in sixth place, but the race was far from over.
- [20:26]
Steph Reed
At about the 150 meter mark, the leader trips and falls and she takes out the athlete next to her. And I'm thinking, this is crazy. This never happens. And at this point, I'm sitting in fourth place and I'm thinking, stephanie, get your butt up. They are into the medals. This is your shot. Don't miss it. And I ended up sneaking a bronze medal by, like, these small, we're talking like, you know, hundreds of thousandths of a second. The smallest margin ever.
- [20:56]
Jim Kirkland
Steph couldn't believe what just happened. For her, that race was about more than getting a bronze medal and setting a new personal best.
- [21:06]
Steph Reed
I was so proud of myself because had I not shown up at that start line, like, fully committed to doing my best and just rewriting those expectations, I never would have been in the position to take my shot. When all of the chaos kicked off
- [21:20]
Jim Kirkland
at the front, Steph attributes that race day to being a lot like her walk with God.
- [21:26]
Steph Reed
It's not perfect, it never is. And yet you just end up in these ridiculous situations that God somehow works out. And actually that first medal at those Games was the launch of my career because had I not won that medal, I never would have had the chance to then train with this other group, this really amazing group, and I never would have progressed the way that I did.
- [21:47]
Jim Kirkland
Since then, Steph has gone on to be a four time Paralympian triple Paralympic medalist and five time world record holder. But in 2015, Steph was hit with another physical setback.
- [22:01]
Steph Reed
I remember in 2015 having a horrendous back injury and just being so angry at God that I couldn't compete in the World Championships and not knowing if my career was over. It was a disc issue, which is the worst because they heal unpredictably. So I didn't know if, if I'd be out for six months, two years, or forever. You don't know.
- [22:23]
Jim Kirkland
While Steph was out with her injury and out of competition, a broadcast company asked if she would be a commentator for the World Championships. By saying yes to this opportunity, Steph discovered a new love. Covering and analyzing sports on tv.
- [22:40]
Steph Reed
And you know, again, this awful thing happens which God is just kind of watching it. And in the end it ended up being the start of my sports broadcasting career. And I feel like that has just been the story of my life. And the thing that I've tried to get better at is just, you know, withstanding or holding back on my judgment and like, okay, God, I don't know where this is going and again, I'm not happy about this, but this is probably leading somewhere. So I will do my best to contain my anger and frustration and try and trust you.
- [23:12]
Jim Kirkland
Steph's life is a testament to trusting God, especially through change. In the summer of 2022, Steph retired from her Paralympic career to focus on sports broadcasting and speaking engagements. Every season of her journey has led her to a true understanding of one of God's promises to his children.
- [23:33]
Steph Reed
His promise is, I will always be with you. It's not I'm going to grant you your wildest dreams. It's not I'm going to gift you everything you want in life, whether it's a Paralympic gold medal or a Lamborghini or a world record. Like, he's not even promising us an easy life or a pain free. God's actual promise for me, for everybody, is that he will be with us.
- [24:03]
Jim Kirkland
If you'd like to experience God's promises as you navigate life. You can start your own journey with Him. Today. Go to our website findpeacewithgod.net when you're there, click on Begin a relationship with Jesus. That's@findpeacewithgod.net and you can also find the link in our show notes. In just a minute you'll hear a final word from Steph about what you can expect or not expect when you walk through life with God.
- [24:34]
Steph Reed
You're listening to GPS God People Stories,
- [24:38]
Jim Kirkland
a podcast production of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
- [24:43]
Billy Graham
The effective Christians throughout all history have been men and women of great personal courage and discipline. Billy Graham Christ never allowed anyone to be a bystander or a spectator. Christianity, if it is anything, is something to which you must respond and commit yourself. A true Christian never plays it safe. He never sits on the fence. He commits himself. In the New Testament we read that God laid down certain specific suggestions as to how the Christian life is to be lived. He never promised a life of ease. He said that we were to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil by living a yielded life filled with the Holy Spirit and a self disciplined life. We live in a world of revolution. The world is changing every day. Often it is difficult for us to adjust ourselves to so many new situations that face us every day. This is why we so desperately need the control of Christ and Christian self discipline. Today I'm calling upon Christians everywhere to come to Jesus Christ in dedication, surrender and self discipline.
- [25:52]
Jim Kirkland
Just as Billy Graham said, the world is a challenging place to live in without the solid foundation for life provided by Jesus Christ. Learn more about how Jesus can give you direction and discipline and strength to overcome the world@findpeacewithgod.net when you're there, click where it says begin a relationship with Jesus. The website again is findpeacewithgod.net and you can find a link to the website in our show notes. Our guest on this episode of GPS is Steph Reed, a Paralympian who has learned to trust God in the unexpected moments of life. She has one more word of wisdom.
- [26:34]
Steph Reed
If you're going to do life with God, expect the unexpected. And it's something that I have to remind myself constantly, like am I going to trust my perspective or am I going to trust the perspective of God who sits like way, way higher and sees the beginning from the end and like all of time. So yeah, that is both the draw and the warning for people. You know, God will move in big ways and so it's exciting but you know, be ready.
- [27:01]
Jim Kirkland
That is great advice. Be ready because God can move in big and unexpected ways, as we've heard happen in Steph's life and for greater purposes and outcomes than we could ever imagine, which is also Steph's story. We are grateful to Steph Reed for joining us on this episode. She's a retired Paralympian sprinter and long jumper who now works as an inspirational speaker, sports broadcaster and high performance coach. She lives in the United Kingdom with her husband Brent, who also happens to be a Paralympian. If you'd like to see more from Steph, you can watch her commentating on the Winter Paralympic Games on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or CBC from March 6 to March 15. And if you want to hear more faith filled stories like this one, subscribe to GPS on YouTube or your favorite podcast app. In the Middle of Life GPS is here in the middle of the week every other Wednesday. I'm Jim Kirkland and this is GPS God People Stories, an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Always good news.
- [28:22]
Steph Reed
It.