Meet the civilian nurse trying to become the first pre-service amputee to join the Navy

Hannah Cvancara was born with a birth defect called fibular hemimelia that resulted in her left leg never growing correctly and the amputation of her left foot when she was just a year old.

But 25 years later, she hasn’t let her reliance on a prosthetic leg stop her from living a full and physical life that includes surfing, rock climbing and long shifts on her feet as a civilian nurse.

Now, Cvancara is trying to make history by becoming the first pre-service amputee to join the Navy, and the Nurse Corps in particular.

Cvancara’s dad was an Air Force flight surgeon, so she grew up a military brat and felt the pull of military service from an early age.

“It’s always been a part of my life, we moved around every few years,” the Spokane, Washington, resident told Navy Times. “I just really have always been interested in joining.”