7 outstanding stories of disabled people living a full life

Today, May 5, is the International Day of Struggle for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Unfortunately, in our country, it is customary to ignore disabled people and even pretend that they do not exist at all. Seeing a rare disabled person who dared to leave the house, many shyly avert their eyes. The fact that these people can be full-fledged members of society is out of the question.

However, we really hope that this shameful situation for society will begin to change. Today we want to start small and suggest that you do not look away, but look at the disabled and learn the stories of their lives, the usefulness of which many people with "unlimited" physical abilities can envy.

(7 photos in total)

Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic was born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome, a rare hereditary disease that leads to the absence of four limbs. At the age of 10, he tried to drown himself in the bathtub, so as not to cause any more inconvenience to his loved ones. Now Nick is one of the most famous and popular motivational speakers in the world, has a beautiful wife and son. And by its very existence it gives hope for a "normal" life to thousands of people.

Carrie Brown

17-year—old Carrie Brown is a carrier of Down syndrome. Not so long ago, thanks to the active support of her friends and the Internet, she became a model of one of the American manufacturers of youth clothing. Carrie posted her photos in Wet Seal clothes on a social network page, which became so popular that the girl was invited to become the face of the brand.

Taylor Morris

This true love story circled the Internet a few years ago. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, blown up by a bomb, lost all his limbs, but miraculously survived. Upon returning home, his 23-year-old fiancee Kelly not only did not leave her beloved, but also helped him to literally "get back on his feet" again, even though he no longer has legs.

Jessica Long

Tanya Kirillova, a little inhabitant of the Irkutsk orphanage, was lucky — at 13 months old, she was born without tibia and foot bones, adopted by an American family. This is how Jessica Long appeared — a famous swimmer, winner of 12 Paralympic gold medals and a world record holder among athletes without legs.

Mark Inglis

New Zealander Mark Inglis conquered Everest in 2006, having lost both legs twenty years before. The climber frostbitten them in one of the previous expeditions, but did not part with his dream of Everest and carried out the ascent to the top, which is difficult even for "ordinary" people.

Tatiana McFadden

Tatiana is another disabled American athlete of Russian origin with paralysis of the lower extremities. She is a multiple winner of women's wheelchair races, including the 2013 Boston Marathon. Tatiana really wanted to go to the Paralympic Games in Sochi and for this purpose she specially mastered a completely new sport for herself — cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Lizzie Velasquez

One day, not too beautiful, Lizzie saw a video posted on the Internet called "The scariest woman in the world" with a lot of views and relevant comments. It's easy to guess that the video showed ... Lizzie herself, who was born with a rare syndrome, because of which she completely lacks adipose tissue. Lizzie's first impulse was to rush into an unequal "battle" with the commentators and answer them everything she thinks about them. But instead, she pulled herself together and proved to the whole world that you don't have to be a beauty to inspire people. She has already published two books and successfully delivers motivational speeches.

Of course, there are not seven of them. There are many more such people who have an incredible will to live and are able to infect others with it. And there are even more people around us who really need to be noticed at last, and when they noticed, they did not turn away with horror or disgust, but tried to help and support.