Nick Vujicic was born in Melbourne, limbless, missing both arms at shoulder level, and having one small foot with two toes protruding from his left thigh. When he was seventeen, he started to give talks at his prayer group, and eventually started his non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs...
Life without Limbs: A non-profit organization created by Nick
Ototake Hirotada (乙武 洋匡) (born April 6, 1976) is a Japanese sports writer from Tokyo. Born without arms and legs due to a disease called tetra-amelia, he is most notable for his 1998 memoir No One's Perfect (五体不満足) ISBN 4770027648, which was a bestseller in Japan. To date, it has sold 4.5 million copies in Japan, making it the second-highest selling book there in nearly 50 years.
Links
Teacher born without limbs teaches children acceptance, respect
http://fisherwy.blogspot.com/2007/04/japanese-armless-author-becomes.html
Due to a slip of the doctor's hand during her birth, Hwang was born with cerebral palsy -- a permanent physical condition that affects movement. Unable to control her muscles, Hwang's childhood was spent "like a blob of soft mud on the floor or on the bed," she said.
She could not talk, drooled non-stop, and after seeing her crawl around, a neighbor said, "This child belongs in a circus." Not only that, she was often bullied by other children who threw rocks and punched her.
Her parents prayed for her everyday, and by elementary school, Hwang was able to take her first steps. In second grade, a teacher at school discovered Hwang's talent and encouraged her to continue drawing.
At the age of 14, Hwang's family emigrated to Los Angeles. "At first, I did not like LA, because some of my classmates at school hit me," Hwang said. "They hit me even though they were disabled, too. I went to a school for the disabled."
But Hwang studied hard, learning English within the first three years and was accepted at East Los Angeles College, majoring in art with a minor in psychology. "I was very happy during my college life," she said. "I like psychology because I like to probe the depths of the human mind and see how or why people behave."
Hwang then moved on to graduate school and obtained a doctorate from the California State University in Los Angeles.
Her first art show was held in Los Angeles in 1988, featuring abstract oil paintings.
"I get inspirations from books, poetry and nature," she said. "My paintings are like my children."
Another popular story about May Hwang was when she is giving a speech via writings on the board. A student ask her if she hated herself due to her condition and how she look at herself. She wrote on the board
I'm cute
I've got nice legs
My parent love me
God love me
I can draw
etc....
At the end of the board, she wrote "I look at what I have and I don't look at what I don't have". This is her philosophy.
Other Links in Chinese
http://web.nehs.hc.edu.tw/newsletter/307/people.html
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/herrykevin/4557684
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/williamtwwilliamtw/article?mid=3991&prev=4028&l=f&fid=5
Another inspirational woman
Book: Footnotes: A Life Without Limits By Lena Maria Klingvall
Diana Golden - Golden Opportunities Fund
Sports of The Times; A Champion Slips Away Unnoticed - NY Times
