Watching the local production of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ ballet, one bubbly ballerina stands out from the rest. Not because she’s better or worse than any of the other dancers, but because she dances with a colorful prosthetic leg.

This dancer is an 8-year-old girl named Selah Brunner, who was born without her left leg.

Adopted from Nanchang, China, when she was just 18 months old, Selah has seamlessly fit into the Brunner family and the wider Gillette community.

“She can easily make friends. She doesn’t look at missing her limb as a handicap,” said her father Paul Brunner. “She’s touched a lot of people’s lives being a part of our community, a lot of people know her and absolutely adore her.”

More than a dancer, Selah also participates in gymnastics and runs track among other things. Like any kid her age she spends time with friends and family doing the things that she loves. Unlike many of those other kids, Selah also goes to weekly physical therapy appointments and regular prosthesis appointments.

Working with certified prosthetist-orthotist Brodie Rice at Pivot Prosthetics and Orthotics since she started to walk, Selah has gotten better at using her prosthetic leg.

Rice works closely with Selah to build and tweak her prosthesis so that it is comfortable, controllable and functional. Rice highlights that for someone Selah’s age and size, having a prosthesis with a functioning knee joint is extremely challenging to control. Through determination and an uplifting support system Selah has continued to improve with a prosthetic leg that often gives adults trouble.

“She overcomes most everything, she finds that when there’s a will there’s a way,” said physical therapist Lisa Haugen.

While Selah’s story is filled with triumph and perseverance there have also been struggles, specifically with running.

“I can tell it breaks her heart, it’s hard for her to try to understand why she can’t physically keep up with other kids in that way,” Paul said.

He said that in all other aspects she can keep up with them and soon will be able to run as well, but it’ll continue to take some time.

“Unfortunately there is just not as many things available for a pediatric leg as there is for an adult leg. So as you get taller and you can fit into more of those adult components that open a whole new world of things you can do with that leg,” said Haugen. “I see her function continuing to grow as we are able to put those better components on that.”