She Has Done & Surpassed Everything They Thought She Could Never Do Without Arms! Donavia Walker’s Incredible Story Is Worth Reading
Just when you think life is tough, you find inspirations from other people’s story like Donavia Walker. Walker’s life is a testament to the statement that, where there is a will, there is a way.
The Winterhaven, Florida-native was born with a rare condition called Bilateral Ameliac. It is a condition that caused her to not develop her upper limbs in the womb. In spite of this, the amazing teen can practically do anything she wants. She has learned to use her feet for everything including eating, driving and texting.
In fact, she has become an accomplished Junior Reserve Officer cadet in the US. The 16-year-old is a squad commander and a part of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).
When Walker’s mother was pregnant, medical practitioners did not inform her that her daughter had not developed arms in the womb. Although, she felt betrayed, she loved her daughter regardless.
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At a young age, Walker quickly started using her feet to perform everyday. According to her mother, Walker’s condition was very scary at first and left her feeling extremely shocked. Tisa Jones, said:
“It was kind of scary. When Donavia was born I saw these different nurses and doctors just run in the room. I took a glance over and I saw one of her arms was missing. I’m like: ‘She is missing an arm,’ and that’s when [the doctor] tells me she is missing both of them.
It really didn’t affect her life because the way she does stuff, everything comes to her naturally. She taught herself to draw, she actually can tie other people’s shoes, she feeds herself, she takes herself to the bathroom. I’m still trying to figure out how, but she does it.”
Walker even taught herself how to drive with her feet. She uses her right foot for the steering wheel and her left foot for the accelerator and brake pedals. She told Barcroft Media:
“People would put me down because they didn’t think I could do as much as I can. They would tell me, ‘You can’t hold it, you have to use your hands to hold it” or “You can’t get that, you gotta use your hands to get it. And I was like, “I can get it with my feet. I will find a way”.
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When she was younger, she played football at her school for three years and even became part of the cheerleading squad.
However, leading her platoon in drill competitions and taking part in activities such as archery and rock climbing in the JROTC program, made her shine more.
Now, the high school student is a squad commander on the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Her major goal now is to inspire others with disabilities by showing them they can accomplish anything as well. Meanwhile, Walker is focused on graduating from high school. She says:
”I would say to anyone with a physical condition that you should love yourself and find people who make you feel comfortable with yourself.”
The cause of this rare condition is unknown. Still, the limb formation process is usually prevented or interrupted very early, between 24 and 36 days after fertilisation.
Watch her tell her story below: