Born with no arms, he uses feet

Born with no arms, he uses feet
PHOTO: Born with no arms, he uses feet

SEOUL - Eleven-year-old Yu Tae Ho from Korea has an unusual method of holding a spoon - he uses his feet.

The reason? He was born without arms.

Despite this disability, Tae Ho has learnt to overcome the obstacles in his life to function as a normal kid. He uses his feet and legs to do almost everything, from feeding himself to brushing his teeth.

Tae Ho has a condition known as congenital amputation, where the limbs of a foetus get accidentally amputated in the womb. It occurs due to a variety of reasons, but the most common cause is when the amniotic band ruptures and gets wrapped around the limbs of the foetus. This constricts the blood flow, leading to an amputation.

Tae Ho also has congenital deformity of the legs, leaving his feet without the smallest index and only four toes on each foot. On top of this, he has numerous health problems, such as his spine has bent out of shape due to the overuse of his right foot.

His biological parents abandoned him upon hearing from doctors that he might not make it. Today, Tae Ho is living happy and healthy under the care of his adoptive mother, Seung Ga Won.

Life is looking bright for the cheerful young boy, who attends school and has been featured in a documentary aired by MBC last year.

Tae Ho can move himself from place to place by hopping upright or rolling, and has refused the help of caretakers and teachers at his school.

Asked by the MBC interviewer in the documentary if it's difficult to live without arms and only legs, Tae Ho replied smiling: "It is fine."

He loves to be helpful, assisting in chores around the house, helping his brother and sister get ready for class and squeezing toothpaste for other children.

He has even has learnt to care for his looks, putting on face cream and neatening his hair.

And it looks like it's paying off. He already has a bride-in-waiting in the form of his classmate and childhood friend, Nam Goong Ingee. She has been helping and supporting him since 2nd-grade and has her eyes set on marrying him.

His inspiring story, full of positivity, has captured the hearts of the online community as the documentary video has gone viral on social net-working websites such as Tumblr.

Children around the world born with parts of or whole limbs missing have shown themselves extraordinarily good at learning to compensate for their disability. Fernando Cruz Vega, a 3-year-old boy from Peru similarly born without arms, is able to manipulate a pen with his feet.

Even more impressive is Ali Srour, 1, who is able to even play computer games with stumps for arms, using just his feet.

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