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NEW YORK — A young Utah ballerina didn’t let an amputation stop her from dancing. Her story is inspiring people all across the world — even catching the eye of one of her favorite performers, Colbie Caillat.
Eight-year-old Alissa Sizemore is no stranger to the stage — she has been dancing since she was 4 years old. But a recent performance to Caillat’s “Try” has captivated the eyes and hearts of hundreds of thousands.
Alissa’s dance, just as the song to which it is set, is all about finding and embracing inner beauty. It’s something she’s worked hard to do ever since she lost her right foot in an accident in May of last year, when it was pinned under a UPS truck in her Uintah County neighborhood.
In order to save her life, doctors had to amputate her leg just below the knee. Alissa refused to give up on dance, but the road back was a long one.
“A lot of it was, ‘I’m not me anymore,’” Alissa’s mother, Heather Sizemore, told KSL back in March. “I told her, ‘You’re stil you. A prosthetic or a (lost) leg doesn’t change who you are. You’re still Alissa.”
Nine months after the accident, Alissa returned to the stage. About halfway through her dance, she removes her prosthetic leg, embracing her imperfections and owning her talent for what it is. A video of her performance to “Try” has been viewed nearly 880,000 times on YouTube.
This week, Alissa was invited to perform on the "Today Show." What she didn’t know is that the woman who inspired her to embrace her new body was waiting in the wings to provide live vocals for her performance.
Related:
Utah girl dances solo 9 months after losing foot in accident
Phillip Sizemore was working in North Dakota when he got the first call from his wife.At the end of the song, Colbie Caillat herself walks out on stage to surprise the girl who inspired her right back.
“That was so lovely,” the singer, clearly emotional, tells Alissa. “Thank you for dancing to my song. You really are an inspiration to so many.”
“Thanks for giving it to me,” Alissa replies.
Caillat presented Alissa with flowers and tickets to her Utah concert.
“It’s so meaningful when something I wrote about something I was going through in life can help other people in different ways of accepting and embracing who you are,” Caillat told Today.
Alissa was recently featured in a music video by the Utah band GENTRI. The band said Alissa was a perfect example of pursuing a dream, something they hoped their song would inspire people to do.
“This has changed my life, but it hasn’t changed me,” Alissa said.
