Deals & Steals on Lara's fabulous finds!

Open menu

  • Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2023 ABC News
  • Living

8-year-old student and teacher bond over shared limb difference

VIDEO: Second-grader and teacher share a special bond over limb difference
1:06
Second-grader and teacher share a special bond over limb difference
ABCNews.com
ByYi-Jin Yu
March 22, 2022, 8:57 pm

It’s not every day that 8-year-old Raegan Justesen meets someone with a limb difference.

That’s why she was surprised when she ran into Ms. Leah Kaplan last month at her elementary school in Spokane, Washington, and noticed the special education teacher was waving at her with what she calls her left “nubbin.”

“I’m happy to see her because I thought there was nobody else that had a nubbin at my school,” Raegan told “Good Morning America.”

PHOTO: 8-year old Raegan Justesen and teacher Leah Kaplan bonded over shared limb difference.
8-year old Raegan Justesen and teacher Leah Kaplan bonded over shared limb difference.
Joni Justesen

“She saw that I had a little arm before I even got the chance to see her and she pulled out her little arm in the hallway and she literally was like, ‘(Gasp) Oh my gosh!’ and she’s like 'Look!’” Kaplan recalled of the moment the two met in the hallway.

PHOTO: Kaplan is a K-3 special education teacher in Washington.
Kaplan is a K-3 special education teacher in Washington.
Courtesy of Leah Kaplan

Raegan’s grandmother, as well as her mother, Joni Justesen, both work at the same school and Kaplan said she learned through them that the feeling was mutual. “They told me she went home that night and just could not stop talking about it, how there's a teacher here with one arm,” Kaplan said. “I was like, well that makes me really happy and whenever I see her, I feel like a celebrity. She always makes a point of saying hi."

Kaplan shared a photo of her with Raegan on her Instagram and revealed that she also gifted Raegan with an adaptive bike, eager to pass on her love of sports to the second-grader.

“I just thought, ‘You know what, I want her to get into sports when she gets older and I want her to have a mentor because they said she has never been in a community with people with disabilities,” Kaplan said.

In addition to teaching, Kaplan competes as a paratriathlete and is aiming to qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. She herself was inspired by a teacher who did triathlons on the weekends.

PHOTO: Leah Kaplan is also a paratriathlete and hopes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Leah Kaplan is also a paratriathlete and hopes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Courtesy of Paul Clawson

“As an adult, I was thinking, ‘Why not do one now? There's an Ironman that's local. I might as well just sign up for it even though I have no training, I have no bike,’” Kaplan recalled of her first triathlon experience. “I said, ‘I’m gonna do this. I want to do something like this.’ So I applied and I raced as a challenged athlete and I came in first place.”

PHOTO: Leah Kaplan hopes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Leah Kaplan hopes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Courtesy of Paul Clawson

For Kaplan, the paratriathlon world is a community she didn’t know she was looking for, full of excitement and empowerment, and as someone who grew up with a limb difference and an adoptee who came to the U.S. from China when she was 6, she recognizes how impactful representation can be.

“I know what it's like as a kid to just suffer in silence, to feel so alone, and look at so many beautiful people online and just not feeling good enough … You don't have to look the part. You can still achieve whatever you want,” Kaplan said.

Raegan finally got to take her new bike for a spin on Sunday and reported that she “really liked it” and that it was “really fun” to ride a customized bike with all three gears and brakes on the right-hand side.

This summer, Kaplan plans to help Raegan, who also loves to run and swim, get started in triathlons too. “I really like doing sports,” Raegan added. “It’s really fun. And like, when I go to practice in cross country, I'm just like, ‘Yes!’”

Up Next in Living—

Candace Kanavel to become 1st law enforcement officer to compete in Miss USA

September 28, 2023

How to watch the last supermoon of 2023

September 27, 2023

Joyce Abbott, who inspired 'Abbott Elementary,' honored by Philadelphia alma mater

September 27, 2023

What happened at Megan Rapinoe’s final USWNT game

September 25, 2023

Up Next in Living—

Candace Kanavel to become 1st law enforcement officer to compete in Miss USA

September 28, 2023

How to watch the last supermoon of 2023

September 27, 2023

Joyce Abbott, who inspired 'Abbott Elementary,' honored by Philadelphia alma mater

September 27, 2023

What happened at Megan Rapinoe’s final USWNT game

September 25, 2023

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2023 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2023 ABC News