Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs – but he doesn’t let the details stop him.
The brave 26-year-old – who is mainly torso – plays football and golf, swims, and surfs, despite having no limbs.
Nick has a small foot on his left hip which helps him balance and enables him to kick.
He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes.
Dive right in: Nick Vujicic, born without legs or arms, plunges into a pool for a swim
Bethany Hamilton teaches Nick how to surf in Hawaii in 2008. Bethany got her arm bitten off by a shark when she was a teenager – and was back on a surfboard within three weeks.
Due to his faith as an Evangelical Christian, Nick has chosen to remain a virgin until marriage although he has had long-term girlfriends in the past.
‘He’s very modest but he gets marriage proposals from women all the time,’ said Nick’s friend and publicist Steve Appel, from Los Angeles.
Water sports aren’t Nick’s only thing – he also plays golf with a club tucked under his chin, and is a huge fan of the English Premier League
Nick at school as a ten-year-old child. His parents decided not to send him to a special school – a decision he said was very hard for him, but which may have been the best decision they could have made for him
‘He would love to get married and start a family but he’s waiting for the right girl to come along.’
When Nick was born his father was so shocked he left the hospital room to vomit. His distraught mother couldn’t bring herself to hold him until he was four months old.
His disability came without any medical explanation – a rare occurrence called Phocomelia – and Nick and his parents spent many years asking why this cruel trick would happen to them.
‘My mother was a nurse and she did everything right during pregnancy but she still blamed herself,’ he said.
‘It was so hard for them but right from the start they did their best to make me independent.
‘My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave the courage to learn how to swim.
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‘I also got really into football and skateboarding. I totally love the English Premier League.’
Nick’s father was a computer programmer and accountant and he taught his little son how to type with his toe at just 6 years old.
His mum invented a special plastic device that meant he could hold a pen and pencil.
Despite the risk of bullying, his parents insisted Nick attended mainstream school.
‘It was the best decision they could have made for me,’ adds Nick, who later achieved a degree in Financial Planning and Real Estate. ‘It was very hard but it gave me independence.’
Nick, who was teased and bullied, had an electric wheelchair for mobility, and a team of carers to help him.
‘I was deeply depressed when I was eight years old,’ he said. ‘I went to my mum crying and told her I wanted to kill myself.
Nick pictured during his travels in India. He has visited 24 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker
Nick enjoys the Hawaiian sun in his customised electric wheelchair
‘I felt cold and bitter. I hated God for doing this to me and was terrified of what would happen when my parents weren’t there to look after me.
‘I could brush my own teeth with a wall mounted brush and wash my own hair with pump action soap, but there was so much that was impossible for me.’
At age ten Nick, tried to drown himself in the bath but luckily the attempt was unsuccessful.
‘I felt there was no purpose when you lack purpose and strength it is hard to hold on,’ he said.
But with the help of his religion, friends and family, Nick managed to pull through to become an international symbol of triumph over adversity.
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