Lessons learned from lack of limbs

When was the last time you said “I can’t”? The other day alone while in bed and a bit under the weather I used the phrase at least a dozen times. And before that, I bailed out on one of my afternoon runs simply because I’d discovered a blister on my pinky toe — yes, one little wound and I was convinced I was handicapped. Yikes.

BETHANYHAMILTON.COM

Let’s admit it. We’re always complaining about how difficult and painful life is. We live in a world where the target is to make everything easy. And to many of us, a good life often means one that’s filled with comfort and free of any great effort or real work. We’re constantly coming up with advancements in technology that prevent us from striving and allow us to just sit and receive. We want quick fixes and results in a flash — after a pill or at the touch of a button.

Whatever happened to “no pain, no gain”? The three most recent people I’m following on Twitter are living proof that indeed our struggles and weaknesses are not there to break us, but to make us. Jessica, Bethany and Nick may appear to lack something, but they clearly possess everything needed to rise above their circumstances and transform their “disabilities” into extraordinary capacities. In fact, these three exceptional individuals have accomplished more than the average person who has all four limbs.

Bethany Hamilton (@bethanyhamilton)

“Saltwater in her veins”: The pro surfer lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark in 2003 at age 13. Miraculously, she survived even after losing 60 percent of her blood. Just three weeks after the attack, she was back on the board and got up on her third wave. According to Bethany, the thought of not being able to surf again scared her more than sharks. She went back to competitive surfing in 2004 and in 2005 won her first national title. Now at 22, the shark attack survivor continues to contend against the best women surfers in the world.

Book: Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

Movie: Soul Surfer starring Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood. Quotes from the inspirational film include:

• “I don’t need easy, I just need possible.”

• “I’ve learned that life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up because you never know what’s over the next wave. And if you have faith, anything is possible. Anything at all.”

Photo by GLEN DAVIS

• “I wouldn’t change what happened to me, because then I wouldn’t have this chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.”

Jessica Cox (@jess_feet)

Independent woman: Born armless, the 29-year-old half-Filipina motivational speaker is the world’s first pilot sans arms. She holds two black belts in taekwondo and is a certified scuba diver. Jessica also plays the piano, surfs, spins nunchucks with her feet, and drives a car with no restrictions or modifications. Her most recent adventure? Marriage. Last May, Jessica became Mrs. Patrick Chamberlain.

Documentary: Right-footed (rightfooted.com/movie)

Imperfection = perfection: If given a chance, she wouldn’t change anything about her condition. Jessica asserts, “I wouldn’t want the arms because of the wonderful things I’ve been able to do, and not just the things like flying a plane, but the lives that I’ve been able to touch.”

Nick Vujicic (@nickvujicic)

No limbs? No worries: The 29-year-old Australian preacher, motivational speaker, president and CEO of Life Without Limbs was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, leaving him totally limbless. Nick, who just got married last February, has a double major in accounting and financial planning. He swims, plays golf, cooks, his two toes can type 43 words per minute and he recently tried surfing with Bethany Hamilton.

BARCROFT MEDIA

Book: Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life

Less is more: Nick was bullied a lot as a child. At one point he even considered taking his own life. But now, he sees his condition as a unique gift that he uses to motivate others. He declares, “You can’t give me any amount of money to even consider taking a magical pill to have arms and legs.”

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Everybody’s going through something. We’re all hurting in one way or another. At times, we may not have a choice as to what comes our way, but we can always choose how we deal with our circumstances. Whenever I feel panicky, my dad tells me, “A thing is only a disaster if you make it into one.” It’s easier said than done, but yes, it can be done.

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Get in touch: www.katrinaanntan.ph / katrinaanntan@yahoo.com / Twitter: @katrinaanntan.