When the Flames Died Out, I Chose to Run
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I didn't win the genetic lottery, but I bet on a soul that never gives up.
01. A Fire That Changed My Face
When I was a child, an accidental fire consumed me. When I woke up from the coma, I smelled disinfectant, saw my mother's tear-swollen eyes, and then — my altered left hand, my altered left face, and the left side of my scalp that would never grow hair again.
Back then, the world told me: "You're different now."
The scar in the mirror seemed to say: "You don't belong in sports. You don't belong in sight."
02. Lace-Up Shoes Were My First Lesson
For a child with limited function in my left hand, tying shoelaces was the biggest enemy.
I used to hold one lace with my teeth, clumsily tying a knot with my only agile right hand. No one wanted to team up with me at school sports day — not because they hated me, but because they were afraid I'd fall, and they couldn't bear the responsibility.
But I wanted to run so badly.
Not to prove anything to others. To prove it to that fire.
I started wearing only specific athletic shoes — those with simple lacing systems and strong support. I discovered that when my feet were locked into a good pair of shoes, my disability disappeared below the waist. The wind rushed through my right ear, brushed across that scarred, hairless scalp, and felt cool. And I smiled.
An athletic shoe wasn't just an accessory — it was my first crutch to stand up, and the magic that made me forget my scars.
03. Why Did I Start LikeeSports?
As an adult, I worked many jobs and competed in amateur para-sports. I discovered a heartbreaking truth:
99% of athletic shoes on the market are designed for "standard feet" and "perfect bodies."
They chase extreme lightness, forgetting that some people need an extra five seconds to put on their shoes.
They chase exaggerated silhouettes, forgetting that some people don't need to be noticed — they just need comfort.
I asked myself: If fate took away my "perfection," then I'll define a new kind of "possibility."
LikeeSports was born from that question.
04. What Does LikeeSports Mean?
Likee — to like, and also a homophone for "like me" (as in "similar to me").
I hope everyone who wears our shoes doesn't just like sports — but moves "like themselves" .
We don't make the most expensive shoes, nor the flashiest. We make:
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A system you can put on and take off with one hand — Every pair features a wide-mouth assist loop and a quick-lock, no-tie lacing system. Even if you have only one dexterous hand, you can put them on in three seconds.
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Stability over everything — Reinforced outsoles for different surfaces. I know firsthand: for those with balance challenges, slip resistance is 100 times more important than speed.
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Inclusive of every shape — Our sizes range from extra-wide to adaptive fits for orthotics. Because there's no "wrong" shape of foot — only ill-fitting shoes.
05. We Just Launched — I Need Your Support
To be honest, as a disabled entrepreneur, turning the first samples from blueprints into physical shoes nearly drained all my savings. My left face still bears the scar, and my scarred left hand still aches in the cold.
But when I put on the very first finished pair of LikeeSports shoes and ran 5 kilometers along the river, I cried.
Not from pain. But because finally — for myself, and for people like me — I had made a pair of shoes that understands.
Today, we just launched.
No million-dollar marketing budget. No A-list celebrity endorsements. Just me — an ordinary person with fire scars covering half my body — holding each pair of shoes, standing in front of a screen, asking you:
If you've ever felt insecure in sports, if you know someone with limited mobility who longs to try, or if you simply believe that a soul has more power than skin —
Please come take a look at LikeeSports.
Even just a like, a share of this story, or buying a pair for your own unyielding self.
Let sports belong to everyone.
#FeetOnTheGround BeLikeYourself.
#LikeeSports