For most people, household chores are a chore, but for a 35-year-old mother, chores such as cooking dinner, doing laundry and cleaning are almost impossible challenges.
Linda Bannon was born without arms due to a rare condition called Holt-Oram syndrome, which affects bone growth and can cause heart problems. However, she did not let her disability prevent her from living a normal life by using her legs instead of her hands.
The woman passed on her skill to her son Timmy, who was born with the same disease. Like his mother, the nine-year-old boy does not want to give in to illness. He can swim, regularly practice taekwondo and play video games just like any other kid of his age.
Linda Bannon, who has learned to use cutlery, make up and even sew with her legs, said: “Timmy is just like the other boys. He does his homework, plays with construction sets and cleans up his room using his legs. After the ultrasound, I knew that he would be born without arms. We were understandably worried, but I wasn't too scared because I knew he could live a normal life like me."
The woman, who grew up in Chicago, said her parents did not know about her illness until she was born.
“They took it calmly and never treated me in a special way,” Linda told Mail Online.
After graduating from school, Linda became an elementary school teacher, and after a while she met her husband Richard. The couple got married in July 2004 and decided to try to have a child.
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When Timmy was born, doctors told them that the baby had a hole in the heart. The newborn spent two months in the hospital before being allowed to return home. As soon as the boy grew up a little, his mother began to teach him everything that she herself had mastered.
“I showed him how to hold a toothbrush and cutlery with my feet. He swims on his back using his legs to move. Sometimes he gets upset that he cannot do certain things, for example, ride a bike, but he never gets discouraged for long,”says the woman.
Linda currently intends to become a motivational speaker to help other people who face similar disabilities.
