Natalie Markham

There was one workout every hour on the hour for eight hours. Just the grueling nature of eight hours worth of workouts is enough to make most people go, yeah, no, I'm not doing that.

There was one workout every hour on the hour for eight hours. Just the grueling nature of eight hours worth of workouts is enough to make most people go, yeah, no, I'm not doing that.

All four of us are sitting on the floor together, and Sarah says that she's going to have to have her leg amputated. And I was blown away. Like, you are in the middle of doing an eight-hour workout, and you have to have your leg amputated? It was absolutely unfathomable to me.

All four of us are sitting on the floor together, and Sarah says that she's going to have to have her leg amputated. And I was blown away. Like, you are in the middle of doing an eight-hour workout, and you have to have your leg amputated? It was absolutely unfathomable to me.

But I distinctly remember her saying, if I'm going to have to have my leg amputated, then I'm going to make this bitch give me every last ounce of what it's got to give.

But I distinctly remember her saying, if I'm going to have to have my leg amputated, then I'm going to make this bitch give me every last ounce of what it's got to give.

And she thinks to herself, You are like a whole other level of badassery than I have ever known.

And she thinks to herself, You are like a whole other level of badassery than I have ever known.

We did one workout where Sarah was having a really hard time. And like at the end of the workout, her leg was shaking so badly. And she's like, Natalie, will you please help me? Can you please help me stretch?

We did one workout where Sarah was having a really hard time. And like at the end of the workout, her leg was shaking so badly. And she's like, Natalie, will you please help me? Can you please help me stretch?

I took her shaking leg and placed it up on my shoulder and I'm holding her quad in one hand and her foot up here and kind of leaning in and I'm talking her through, like breathe into the muscle, like take some breaths, exhale slowly, picture your leg relaxing and just breathe.

I took her shaking leg and placed it up on my shoulder and I'm holding her quad in one hand and her foot up here and kind of leaning in and I'm talking her through, like breathe into the muscle, like take some breaths, exhale slowly, picture your leg relaxing and just breathe.

remember her like like having this moment of her leg finally relaxing and this is the leg that she's supposed to have amputated and feeling some some sense of gratitude that i could help somebody in that situation to have some kind of relief

remember her like like having this moment of her leg finally relaxing and this is the leg that she's supposed to have amputated and feeling some some sense of gratitude that i could help somebody in that situation to have some kind of relief

And like, I'm so genuinely worried about her that in the middle of the night, I wake up and the first thing I think of is, I must be waking up because I've got to pray for Sarah. I should text her and let her know that I'm praying. And so I text out my prayer to her and send it to her.

And like, I'm so genuinely worried about her that in the middle of the night, I wake up and the first thing I think of is, I must be waking up because I've got to pray for Sarah. I should text her and let her know that I'm praying. And so I text out my prayer to her and send it to her.

January 26th, 2022, a prayer for you today is what I wrote. God, thank you for Sarah. Thank you for her intelligence, kindness, humor, bravery, courage, and service to the United States and for her gift of friendship. I pray that you will give her and her family a deep sense of peace today, even as she is under anesthesia.

January 26th, 2022, a prayer for you today is what I wrote. God, thank you for Sarah. Thank you for her intelligence, kindness, humor, bravery, courage, and service to the United States and for her gift of friendship. I pray that you will give her and her family a deep sense of peace today, even as she is under anesthesia.

Though she already has such a deep sense of drive and determination, pour into her an extra dose of perseverance and purpose. Heal her body, Lord, from this and all illness and disease.

Though she already has such a deep sense of drive and determination, pour into her an extra dose of perseverance and purpose. Heal her body, Lord, from this and all illness and disease.

She wrote, Thank you so much. I can't tell you what this means to me.

She wrote, Thank you so much. I can't tell you what this means to me.

She said that when she was going into her surgery, that her blood pressure had dropped significantly. And they weren't able to perform the surgery because of that. And I remember thinking at the time, like, that's really weird. You would think that if you're going to go have your leg cut off, that your blood pressure would be sky high.

She said that when she was going into her surgery, that her blood pressure had dropped significantly. And they weren't able to perform the surgery because of that. And I remember thinking at the time, like, that's really weird. You would think that if you're going to go have your leg cut off, that your blood pressure would be sky high.

The next day, I was like trying to reach out to her, but thinking that she's still in the hospital. And it's in the middle of me trying to get a hold of her that I receive a message from Tom through WhatsApp saying,

The next day, I was like trying to reach out to her, but thinking that she's still in the hospital. And it's in the middle of me trying to get a hold of her that I receive a message from Tom through WhatsApp saying,

And he's like, hey, Sarah's not who she says she is.

And he's like, hey, Sarah's not who she says she is.

I specifically asked Tom, like, how do you know this? Because now I'm questioning him, like, why would you even say something like that? Like, how do you know for sure?

I specifically asked Tom, like, how do you know this? Because now I'm questioning him, like, why would you even say something like that? Like, how do you know for sure?

Dex has this way of like, she calls it gassing you up, of like being your biggest cheerleader. And so she'll be like, man, look at those guns, Natalie.

Dex has this way of like, she calls it gassing you up, of like being your biggest cheerleader. And so she'll be like, man, look at those guns, Natalie.

The three of us are lined up, and being female and in the military, like, do you stand tough? Do you stand feminine? And then, you know, we're in a strength retreat, so we should take one that looks kind of cute, but then we should take one that looks kind of tough and so will flex. And Dex is always the one to be like, oh, we have to flex.

The three of us are lined up, and being female and in the military, like, do you stand tough? Do you stand feminine? And then, you know, we're in a strength retreat, so we should take one that looks kind of cute, but then we should take one that looks kind of tough and so will flex. And Dex is always the one to be like, oh, we have to flex.

There was one workout every hour on the hour for eight hours. Just the grueling nature of eight hours worth of workouts is enough to make most people go, yeah, no, I'm not doing that.

There was one workout every hour on the hour for eight hours. Just the grueling nature of eight hours worth of workouts is enough to make most people go, yeah, no, I'm not doing that.

All four of us are sitting on the floor together, and Sarah says that she's going to have to have her leg amputated. And I was blown away. Like, you are in the middle of doing an eight-hour workout, and you have to have your leg amputated?

All four of us are sitting on the floor together, and Sarah says that she's going to have to have her leg amputated. And I was blown away. Like, you are in the middle of doing an eight-hour workout, and you have to have your leg amputated?

It was absolutely unfathomable to me, but I distinctly remember her saying, if I'm going to have to have my leg amputated, then I'm going to make this bitch give me every last ounce of what it's got to give.

It was absolutely unfathomable to me, but I distinctly remember her saying, if I'm going to have to have my leg amputated, then I'm going to make this bitch give me every last ounce of what it's got to give.

And she thinks to herself, You are like a whole other level of badassery than I have ever known.

And she thinks to herself, You are like a whole other level of badassery than I have ever known.

We did one workout where Sarah was having a really hard time. And at the end of the workout, her leg was shaking so badly. And she's like, Natalie, will you please help me? Can you please help me stretch?

We did one workout where Sarah was having a really hard time. And at the end of the workout, her leg was shaking so badly. And she's like, Natalie, will you please help me? Can you please help me stretch?

I took her shaking leg and placed it up on my shoulder and am, you know, holding her quad in one hand and her foot up here and kind of leaning in and I'm talking her through, like, breathe into the muscle, like, take some breaths, exhale slowly, picture your leg relaxing and just...

I took her shaking leg and placed it up on my shoulder and am, you know, holding her quad in one hand and her foot up here and kind of leaning in and I'm talking her through, like, breathe into the muscle, like, take some breaths, exhale slowly, picture your leg relaxing and just...

remember her like like having this moment of her leg finally relaxing and this is the leg that she's supposed to have amputated in feeling some some sense of gratitude that i could help somebody in that situation to have some kind of relief

remember her like like having this moment of her leg finally relaxing and this is the leg that she's supposed to have amputated in feeling some some sense of gratitude that i could help somebody in that situation to have some kind of relief

And I'm so genuinely worried about her that in the middle of the night, I wake up and the first thing I think of is, I must be waking up because I've got to pray for Sarah. I should text her and let her know that I'm praying. And so I text out my prayer to her and send it to her.

And I'm so genuinely worried about her that in the middle of the night, I wake up and the first thing I think of is, I must be waking up because I've got to pray for Sarah. I should text her and let her know that I'm praying. And so I text out my prayer to her and send it to her.

January 26, 2022, a prayer for you today is what I wrote. God, thank you for Sarah. Thank you for her intelligence, kindness, humor, bravery, courage, and service to the United States, and for her gift of friendship. I pray that you will give her and her family a deep sense of peace today, even as she is under anesthesia.

January 26, 2022, a prayer for you today is what I wrote. God, thank you for Sarah. Thank you for her intelligence, kindness, humor, bravery, courage, and service to the United States, and for her gift of friendship. I pray that you will give her and her family a deep sense of peace today, even as she is under anesthesia.

Though she already has such a deep sense of drive and determination, pour into her an extra dose of perseverance and purpose.

Though she already has such a deep sense of drive and determination, pour into her an extra dose of perseverance and purpose.

She said that when she was going into her surgery, that her blood pressure had dropped... And they weren't able to perform the surgery because of that. And I remember thinking at the time, like, that's really weird. You would think that if you're going to go have your leg cut off, that your blood pressure would be sky high.

She said that when she was going into her surgery, that her blood pressure had dropped... And they weren't able to perform the surgery because of that. And I remember thinking at the time, like, that's really weird. You would think that if you're going to go have your leg cut off, that your blood pressure would be sky high.

The next day, I was like trying to reach out to her, but thinking that she's still in the hospital. And it's in the middle of me trying to get a hold of her that I receive a message from Tom through WhatsApp saying,

The next day, I was like trying to reach out to her, but thinking that she's still in the hospital. And it's in the middle of me trying to get a hold of her that I receive a message from Tom through WhatsApp saying,

And he's like, hey, Sarah's not who she says she is.

And he's like, hey, Sarah's not who she says she is.

I specifically asked Tom, like, how do you know this? Because now I'm questioning him, like, why would you even say something like that? Like, how do you know for sure?

I specifically asked Tom, like, how do you know this? Because now I'm questioning him, like, why would you even say something like that? Like, how do you know for sure?

Dex has this way of like, she calls it gassing you up, of like being your biggest cheerleader. And so she'll be like, man, look at those guns, Natalie.

Dex has this way of like, she calls it gassing you up, of like being your biggest cheerleader. And so she'll be like, man, look at those guns, Natalie.

The three of us are lined up, and being female and in the military, like, do you stand tough? Do you stand feminine? And then, you know, we're in a strength retreat, so we should take one that looks kind of cute, but then we should take one that looks kind of tough and so will flex. And Dex is always one to be like, oh, we have to flex.

The three of us are lined up, and being female and in the military, like, do you stand tough? Do you stand feminine? And then, you know, we're in a strength retreat, so we should take one that looks kind of cute, but then we should take one that looks kind of tough and so will flex. And Dex is always one to be like, oh, we have to flex.