June 27, 2007 03:59 PM
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(KHNL) - All this week in Memphis, Tennessee the National Championships in "Trampoline and Tumbling" have been going on.
That's where a very special local athlete is set to do her thing.
She's 6 year old Celeste Choi.
And when you watch her jump, it's hard to imagine the hurdles this little girl's had to overcome, just to take part in her sport. Celeste was born with congenital heart defect, a hole in her heart.
She needed open heart surgery when she was only 4 months old. Since then, her spirit has inspired and her energy's been endless.
Tuesday, she'll make her national event debut, just 4 months after stepping on to a trampoline for the very first time
"When she was born, I didn't think it was possible," said Sonia Choi, Celeste's mom. "At first, she couldn't do anything exerting. Later on, as she got a little older, they said for us just to treat her as a normal child. But we realized, that's probably the best thing we could do for her and let her just live the way that she can for the moment."
Celeste Choi is one of 20 local gymnasts in Memphis from the Hawaii Academy.
