Having a Limb Difference & Loving It
Hey there! My name is Pia and I was born with a tiny right hand. Growing up, it wasn’t exactly easy for me to accept my limb difference. Kids can be pretty terrible after all, especially when they’re from a small German village that hasn’t seen too much diversity. Luckily, I have amazing parents who’ve always empowered me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams regardless of what others might say. So playing the guitar, climbing, boxing, etc. was no big deal at all. I just might have needed to be a little more creative. I can say with great pride that I’ve never seen my hand as a disability or handicap (it still bothers me when someone refers to it as such), but rather as a challenge and an opportunity for creativity and thinking outside the box. Tying shoelaces, putting my hair in a ponytail, driving a manual car, playing the guitar...are all totally doable with a hand and a half.
Just Put a Face on It
From early on, I’ve seen my hand more like a doll than anything else, dressing it up with my Barbies’ accessories and painting faces on it (let’s be honest- the mini thumb just looks too much like a nose). For a few months now, I’ve gotten back into dressing up my hand. This time I use my phone. I love inventing new personas, or using random objects as hats and letting my imagination run free. After all, it’s pretty cool to be able to do something that most other people can’t, because drawing faces on a normal hand..? Come on, that’s lame. And more than that, I’ve decided to actually do something with it, and upload the pictures to Instagram where I’ve discovered an amazing community of people with limb differences that are so inspiring. I really hope to reach others like me who are possibly struggling with accepting themselves and show them that it’s really not a big deal. And that it can help a lot to laugh about yourself every once in a while.
