Hen’s Teeth, By Rubina III BA (HPE)

 

Hen’s Teeth

 

 

Nick was born as the eldest son of Dushka and Boris in Melbourne, Australia, on December 4, 1982. Very soon, in 1990, to be precise, his determination and courage impressed the world, and he was felicitated with the 'Australian Young Citizen Award'. He was one of the contenders for the 'Young Australian of the Year Award' in the year 2005. In 2010, he won the 'Best Actor in Short Film' award at the 'Method Fest Independent Film Festival' for his performance in the role of Will, from the movie 'The Butterfly Circus'. He gave a heart-rending speech in Switzerland, at the 'World Economic Forum', for their Annual Meeting's special session, 'Inspired for a Lifetime', in 2011. In 2012, he got married to the love of his life, Kanae Miyahara, and the couple has been blessed with a son, Kiyoshi James. He has released motivational films, like 'Life's Greater Purpose' and 'Biography of a Determined Man of Faith'. He is a painter, swimmer, skydiver, evangelist, and motivational speaker with an estimated net worth of 500,000 dollars.

 

But still, there is a problem!

 

Tetra-amelia syndrome, also called autosomal recessive tetra-amelia, is “an extremely rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs.” Other areas of the body are also affected by malformations, such as the face, skull, reproductive organs, anus and pelvis. The disorder is caused by mutations in the WNT3 gene. The syndrome causes severe malformations of various parts of the body, including the face and head, heart, nervous system, skeleton, and genitalia. In many cases, the lungs are underdeveloped, which makes breathing difficult or impossible. No wonder then that the syndrome has been characterized as “rare as hen’s teeth!” As children with tetra-amelia syndrome have such serious medical problems, most are stillborn or die shortly after birth.

 

But, Nick survived!

 

Nicholas James Vujicic (Nick), born as the eldest son of Dushka and Boris of Melbourne, Australia, though healthy in all other aspects, was born with autosomal recessive tetra-amelia, a rare condition where the child has no limbs at all. Initially, it was quite difficult for the child and his family to cope up with the troubles that accompany the absence of hands and legs. He wasn't even allowed to study in a normal school, even though there was nothing wrong with his IQ. Growing up in Melbourne, Nick Vujicic struggled mentally, emotionally, and physically. Bullied at school, he attempted suicide when he was just 10 years old. The child of just ten always wondered why he was different from others, and decided to drown himself since he saw no purpose to his living. However, he stopped himself in time, thinking of his loving parents and how much it would hurt them to see him dead. Gradually coming to terms with his disability, Nick decided to become vocal about living with disabilities and finding hope and meaning in life.

 

Nick gradually learnt to use his feet to write, type, play, and shave. He pursued his secondary education from the Runcorn State High School, Queensland, Australia, where he was also the head boy. He was also on the student council that carried out humanitarian work. When Nick turned seventeen, he started delivering speeches in his church group. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Commerce, specializing in financial planning and accountancy, from the Griffith University in Queensland. As a speaker, he mainly addresses school children, young adults, and working professionals. The charismatic Australian now travels the world addressing huge crowds. In his career, Nick has travelled to more than sixty countries, given over three thousand talks, some of which have attracted audiences as large as 110,000 people and has touched the lives of millions of people. In 2005, he established an NGO named Life Without Limbs, which has its headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. The organization campaigns against bullying and hosts events and presents talks on courage and faith in God to overcome any adversity faced in life. In the same year, Vujicic released the DVD of a documentary movie, titled Life's Greater Purpose. The film talks about the motivational speaker's childhood, how he learned to use whatever was there of his limbs, and his married life. In 2009, Vujicic featured in a short film titled The Butterfly Circus, directed by Joshua Weigel. The movie won a number of accolades, including the first prize awarded by the 'Doorpost Film Project', and the 'Best Short Film' at the 'Method Fest Independent Film Festival', as well as the 'The Feel Good Film Festival'. The actor won the award for his “brilliant portrayal of a man very much like himself, who is given a second chance to love himself.” In 2010, Nick wrote a book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life (Random House). He also released a DVD titled 'Biography of a Determined Man of Faith. Quite recently, he published his memoir Love Without Limits, which is an international bestseller.

 

Truly, it has been a Life without Limbs but Love without Limits!

Despite being as rare as hen’s teeth there are persons with the tetra-amelia syndrome all over the world. Hirotada Ototake was born without arms and legs due to this syndrome. He is a successful sports journalist and a teacher at the Suginami Dai-Yon Elementary School in Tokyo. Ototake is most notable for his 1998 memoir No One’s Perfect (English Translation). He stars in the 2013 film, based on the events of his own life as a teacher Nobody's Perfect (English title). The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan considered recruiting Ototake to run in the 2016 Upper House Elections. However, in March 2016, the tabloid magazine Shukan Shincho reported that Ototake had affairs with five women since the birth of his eldest son in 2008. Ototake acknowledged and apologized for his actions.

 

Indeed, no one’s perfect!

Are there persons with tetra-amelia syndrome in India? This was the question that crossed my mind during the course of this article. Yes, indeed! Tetra-amelia did not stop him C. P. Shihabudheen of Calicut, Kerala from braving the odds. Currently a student at Calicut University pursuing English Literature, Shihab talks about how he “made margaritas when life gave him lemons.” 24 year old Shihab is a motivational speaker, dancer, musician and an artist. Shihab speaks of how he decided to do things differently. “I was born with this condition. There were days when I used to sit at home and not do anything. I realized one must do something to live and exist happily. So, that is how I started drawing,” he says. Shihab started drawing when he was in class 8. Shihab holds the brush in his mouth to do the drawing and painting. He organized exhibitions of his work that catapulted him into the limelight. Shihab gained a huge fan following. He decided to pursue dancing and went onto participate in reality shows as well. In his first reality show Shihab was required to do “everything that a normal person would have to do.” He was with eighteen other “normal people.”  Shihab went onto win that reality show. “That victory gave me more confidence. I started feeling that more than our financial or family background, it is our mind that is the most powerful thing,” he remarks on his Facebook page. In addition, Shihab has donned the hat of a motivational speaker in over 600 events, including ones at IIT-Madras and Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He even plays the drums and the piano with ease!

 

What does the life the Nick Vujicic, Ototake and Shihabudheen say? It says that limbs without a willing heart can do nothing but a willing heart without limbs can work wonders. For as Nicholas James Vujicic remarks “if God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

 

                                                                                                                                     Rubina

     III BA HPE

 

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