The Inspiring Story of a Mother and Her Son Who Were Both Born Without Arms

Each and every one of us reacts to life situations differently. In the face of adversity, some people choose to dwell on their misery and give up on life, while others seek even the most minute ray of light and still hope for the best. People like the latter remain optimistic, and they learn to adapt to survive. That indeed is a very admirable trait, don’t you think?

Meet 35-year-old Linda Bannon. She was born without arms due to a hereditary condition called Holt-Oram syndrome or heart-hand syndrome. It is a hereditary condition characterized by malformations of the upper extremities and the heart. But this amazing woman did not let her disability take control of her life and bring her down.

The most mundane chores we do every day is a challenging task for her.

Nonetheless, she accepted the challenges her disability offered and chose to “live”.

She learned how to use her feet for just about anything.

Linda learned how to cook, brush her teeth, put makeup on, type on her computer’s keyboard, and sew using her feet!

Although she tried to use prosthetic limbs before, it made her feel uncomfortable.

So she started to teach herself and did everything using her feet by the age of 12. Despite being teased at school, she was fortunate to have the support of her family and friends.

This courageous woman has also been blessed to have a life partner, Richard, who accepts her completely. She met him at a gym when she was just 24-years-old.

The couple got married in July 2004.

“We hit it off straight away,” she said. “He wasn’t fazed by my disability—he liked my independence.”

When Linda got pregnant, the doctors told her that there is a 50% chance that their child would be born like her.

“I questioned whether we were doing the right thing, but we really wanted a family,” says Linda.

“I knew from the scans he was going to be born without arms. We were understandably concerned, but I wasn’t too daunted as I knew he would be able to live a normal life like me.”

Timmy, their son, was born without arms and a heart defect

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The infant also had to stay in the hospital for two months while the doctors operated on him. But like his mother, the child is a survivor too.

Linda threw herself into being a mother.

And taught Timmy everything she knew as soon as he was old enough.

Thanks to his mom, this spirited young boy, also does everything on his own.

Timmy plays video games.

He swims with his mom

And he also plays the guitar and takes taekwondo classes.

Timmy does what other kids would do and more. Although he often gets frustrated with some tasks like fastening buttons, the boy remains positive and his mom is just truly proud of him.

“However, I’m not having any more kids as I couldn’t bear to see them go through the same heart problems Timmy had.” the mother of one said.

“I want to raise awareness about my disability and show you can live a full life. There’s no reason why Timmy can’t have a wife and family. As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.”

Linda and Timmy Bannon’s story is truly inspiring. These two are trying to live normal lives without depending much on others for help despite their condition. So why shouldn’t most of us, who are born perfectly fit and healthy do the same?

Watch the video:

H/T: Daily Mail, Wereblog, Medscape, Barcroft TV