(July 1) - Nick Vujicic has been an inspiration to many due to his ability to surf, swim, golf and play soccer... all without any limbs.
The 26-year-old native of Melbourne, Australia was born without arms or legs due to a rare condition called phocomelia.
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He has a head and torso. His only extremity is a small foot attached to his left hip that he uses for balance, according to a report in the The Daily Mail.
His disabilities were a great physical and emotional challenge for him and his parents. After his birth, his father left the hospital room to vomit and his mother refused to hold him until he was four months old.
Vujicic himself attempted suicide at age 10 when he tried to drown himself in the bathtub.
He credits his parents for giving him the tools and motivation to succeed by teaching him how to be independent, and how to function among his peers at a mainstream school.
"My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave the courage to learn how to swim," Vujicic, who also got into skateboarding and soccer, told the Daily Mail.
His father taught him how to type with his foot at age 6 and his mother created a plastic device to help him handle a pen or pencil.
All his bravery and perseverance paid of when he won the Australian Young Citizen of the Year award in 1990 for his bravery and perseverance.
He now holds a degree in real estate and financial planning and tours the world as a motivational speaker.
He even traveled to Hawaii in 2008 to learn how to surf from Bethany Hamilton, who had her arm bitten off by a shark when she was 12. His amazing ability to perform three 360 degree spins on a board got him on the cover of Surf magazine.
"She was amazing," Vujicic told the Daily Mail. "She taught me how to surf and I was terrified at first, but once I got up there it felt absolutely fantastic and I caught some waves pretty well."
He points to his faith as a source of courage to accomplish goals despite his condition.
"When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others," Vujicic told the Daily Mail.
"I realized why God had made us like this - to give hope to others," Vujicic told the Daily Mail. "It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage other people and give them the courage that the article had given me."
For more on this story, check out The Daily Mail.
