Valérie Hirschfield had grown up as a competitive gymnast, but by the time she turned 40 in 2005,

she'd forgotten all about that life.

She was a stay-at-home mom living near Marseille in the south of France with her husband and their three sons.

Raising three boys was enough of a challenge.

My life was based around my home and my children.

The younger one, she was 9 years old.

Daniel was 13 years old and the youngest one was 14 years old.

I was very happy to have been able to meet my parents.

We lived close to the beach, we had a lot of activities.

Having three children is a challenge, but I was well organized.

But then, in July 2005, Valérie fell ill.

She had an infection in her leg that just wouldn't go away.

She underwent multiple surgeries to remove the infection.

In one year, she had 17 surgeries, but she kept getting sicker and sicker.

This disease was a hell.

I hoped that this would stop her from all over the world.

But the infection always came back.

In July 2006, I couldn't go out anymore because I was too weak.

I lost 18 kilos.

I had the impression that this young man was no longer mine.

Valérie had to make the hardest decision of her life.

She knew she needed to get her leg amputated.

...