Dad-of-four, Joseph Reed, was born with his complete limbs but lost all four at the young age of two due to meningitis, an inflammation of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Without limbs, the 34-year-old dad can do and in fact does what some fathers are still struggling with in their households. He cooks, takes care of his kids, helps his wife with household duties and has a full-time job, despite having no limbs.
Joseph from Milwaukee Winsconsin, United States told Barcroft TV in an interview that it was hard growing up without limbs but he has since come to terms with his situation and is living a fulfilling life with his wife and kids. He does everything by himself except for lacing up shoes.
Reed had his limbs amputated to save his life after his meningitis case became more complicated by another infection. The doting husband and dad works a full-time job as cashier at American retail store giant, Walmart.
In the interview with Barcroft TV, Reed said:
âIt was hard growing up with no limbs, everybody used to treat me differently back then,
plus I grew up in a foster system.
âNow I can live without limbs with no problem and I donât care what people say anymore.
I have to live for myself and be comfortable in my own skin.â
Impressively, Joseph’s disability has not affected his love life, he has been married to his high school love, Lore Allen, for 13 years. Â The couple have three kids together, and one more from Joseph’s straying outside marriage.
He told Barcroft TV:
âI have three beautiful kids with my wife. I have my youngest son outside my marriage.
âSo no, I would say that my condition did not affect my love life at all.â
Top on the list of things the dad wants to achieve is to give his children a stable two-parent upbringing that he never had growing up. Asked about her impression of Joseph when they first met, Lore told Barcroft TV:
âThis man was a serious playboy. He flirted with every woman he has seen.
The thing I love the most about Joseph is his personality
and if Iâd be down he comes in and brightens my day. Itâs never dull with Joseph.â
But Joseph has not always been an inspirration, he experienced a difficult childhood, with his life in the care system leading to depression and even suicidal thoughts. He went through a lot as a child and contemplated suicide a lot of times
He had a troubled relationship with his adoptive mother and remembers the moment when he left her house in 2004.
He said:
âMy adopted mother was out of town.
I cleaned the whole house, I washed all the dishes, washed all the clothes,
vacuumed and I left the house and never went back there.â
Today the 34-year-old man considers himself as a happy man and lives his life to the fullest”.
His kids are a major source of motivation for him, he hopes to inspire them by his life and what he has done with it despite not having limbs.
Joseph said:
âWhat keeps me so positive is that I know I have my kids, they have a father who is disabled but yet he gets up, and he works and he makes his family straight.
And in the long run, the kids will have a chance to understand, âIf my dad can do this with no hands and legs then I know I can do it and never give up.â
 As a dad, the hardest thing about not having no limbs is not being able to play sports with my kids.â
