I was chill-browsing through a few websites one day when I came across a man whose life story is so remarkable that I sat there for hours and scoured as many articles as I could just to know more about him. He is such an inspiration that I would like to share his story with the community in the hopes of inspiring other people as well.
He is actually quite famous and most of you probably already know him. For those who don't, let me tell you about Nick Vujicic (pronounced as voo-yee-cheech – I know, I googled the pronunciation.)
Nick Vijucic is a man who was born with an extremely rare congenital deformity called Phocomelia which happens in 4.2 babies out of every 100,000 births. Babies born with this defect come out without limbs or with hands and feet attached close to the trunk. The doctors weren't able to detect it during his mother's pregnancy, resulting in a surprise on the birthing table. I couldn't imagine how his parents felt that fateful day in 1982. But if you found out you were having a baby without arms and legs what would you have done?
Note: All photos courtesy of Nick Vujicic's facebook page.
What did his family do? They coped. They adjusted. They loved him for all that he is, and all that he is not. It could not have been easy. It surely wasn't easy for Nick. Just imagine yourself as a kid in grade school and imagine how cruel kids can be. I remember when I was in grade school I always got teased because I was the tallest and the biggest girl in class and girls were supposed to be small and pretty. Now imagine yourself in Nick's place. You don't have arms and legs. How would you feel? According to one of his talks, Nick was incessantly bullied when he was young. In one of his Youtube videos, he mentioned an incident when he was 6. Students have been relentlessly teasing him throughout the day. Twelve kids. He counted. He said to himself, “If one more person teases me today, that's it. I'm going to give up.” He was on his wheelchair heading towards his parents when he heard a somebody shouting his name. He was preparing himself for what is about to come. He thought, “This is it.” Then this little kid, a girl at that, came towards him and said, “I just want you to know that you're looking good today.” That random act of kindness might have just saved his life that day.
Nick at 6yo riding his first customized electric wheelchair.
At the age of 8, Nick attempted suicide.
He tried to drown himself in the bathtub. He asked his parents if they could put him in the tub because he just wanted to relax for a bit. So they drew him a bath and placed him in the tub. Nick turned over a couple of times in an attempt of drowning himself, but he couldn't do it. Not that he can't - he realized he didn't want to.
He started thinking about his funeral and about all the guilt his parents might feel if he were to take his own life. He started to think about all the love he received from his family. He thought about all the love that he has for his family and he couldn't do it. Isn’t it heartbreaking to think of an 8-year old boy committing suicide because of circumstances that are out of his control? But you know what? He realized that he is in control. He is in control of his own life and how he wants to live it. Just like you and me are in control of our own lives. We cannot and should not let society dictate how we feel about ourselves. That was the last time Nick attempted to take his own life.
Nick went on to learn how to use his feet to play, write, and do many other things. He calls it his “little drumstick” because if its appearance. He became the head boy in his school- a part of the student council involved in humanitarian work.
The day his mom read him the story of a severely disabled man was the turning point he needed in his life. He was 17 then. He started sharing his story with his prayer group, and by the age of 19, he was already busy with speaking engagements. While most teenagers at this age were filled with confusion and a heightened sense of rebellion, Nick was out there inspiring people to become better. By the age of 21, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in commerce, and added to that, a major in accounting, and another major in financial planning. Nick has traveled the world giving inspiring speeches to people everywhere. He also started an NGO called Life Without Limbs which focuses on giving people hope and encouraging them to find their true purpose in life. Yes, he did all that. Yes, I took a deep breath too.
Nick and his father on his graduation day.
The reason why his story touched me deeply is because I have lost a number of friends to depression. I cannot help but think I could have done more for them. Maybe I could have given them more of my time. Maybe, if I have known about Nick's ministry and shared his story of courage and determination, they might not have given up.
But we cannot dwell on maybes. We can only live forward. That is why I am sharing his story with you. I am sharing it in the hope of inspiring other people as much as he inspired me. I am not very religious, but his story of courage, strength, and perseverance is something I can relate to, and I hope that you would too.
On a side note, Nick is now married to the love of his life, Kanae Miyahara, and they have two healthy sons, KoyoshiJames and Dejan Levi.
