So, Nick, the long-awaited first-born, was born with a very serious pathology - the child was missing all his limbs. In other words, the baby had neither arms nor legs, and only in place of his left leg did he have some kind of foot with two toes.
Nick Vujicic was born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia, into a family of Serbian immigrants. However, calling this event - the birth of a son - a joy for his parents could only be called very conditional. So, Nick, the long-awaited first-born, was born with a very serious pathology - the child was missing all his limbs. In other words, the baby had neither arms nor legs, and only in place of his left leg did he have some kind of foot with two toes. The boy's father, who was present at the birth, could not believe his eyes; he left the delivery room, barely seeing one of the baby's shoulders, which did not end with an arm. Later, barely alive from excitement, he turned to the doctor: “... My son... Doesn’t he have an arm?” The doctor’s answer was unequivocal: “The baby does not have both arms and both legs.”
Then the entire maternity ward cried - nurses, midwives and even seasoned doctors. No one dared to show the baby to the mother, who was no longer able to find a place for herself from excitement.
And yet, be that as it may, the time has come to decide what to do with the unfortunate, but at the same time their desired son. It is not difficult to imagine the state of the parents of a newborn - they watched their baby in a kind of stupor, and no one even dared to imagine how he could adapt, and whether he could adapt at all, to the world around him.
Questions, questions, questions... Can such a person be happy? And does he need life at all? On the other hand, if life has already been given to him, can they even think about whether he needs it? However, while the parents looked at their child with a mixture of fear and pity, the baby also began to look closely at the outside world in his own way. At the same time, Nick was “healthy” - that is, despite all his terrible congenital defects, the rest of his body worked properly. Moreover, the baby wanted to live!
So, after several months of confusion, after a sea of tears and devastation, Nick's parents resigned themselves and began to simply live. His mother later said that at that time they did not dare to look into the future for a long time - they simply set themselves small tasks and solved problems one by one, in small steps.
So, the life of a little Australian named Nick began in a difficult, painful and very unusual way. As a child, he did not think at all about how much and in what way he differed from his peers.
Depression came later as Nick Vujicic grew older. The first suicide attempt occurred at the age of 8 years. So, it was at this age that the boy began to suffer and suffer because of his shortcomings, and it was then that he realized that it was useless to ask God every night to give him legs and arms. God, unfortunately, remained deaf to his prayers. He later admitted that every morning he was ready to wake up with new arms and legs, but with each new morning these hopes became more and more elusive. Hope was replaced by disappointment. The electronic hands that his parents bought for him did not help either - they turned out to be too heavy for the baby, and Nick continued to live and use only the semblance of the left leg that he received at birth.
It wasn’t easy for Nick’s parents either, who had the difficult task of explaining to their son why God didn’t love him, why he not only didn’t help him, but even completely took away from him what was due him by nature - ordinary hands and legs?
So, one day Nick asked to be taken to the bath - and there he suddenly realized that even drowning himself was too difficult for him. It was then that the boy imagined his possible funeral - the inconsolable parents who loved him so much, and whom he himself loved. It was at that moment, as he admitted later, that he once and for all stopped thinking about suicide.
However, this did not make life any easier or softer. Despite the fact that Nick’s parents managed to get the authorities to ensure that their son went to a normal, regular school, his classmates and peers refused to play with him. Indeed, Nick could not do anything - neither kick the ball, nor catch it, nor catch up, nor run away.
But the boy held on - he tried to be “like everyone else”, tried his best. So, he went to school, studied well, could write, learned not only to walk and swim, but also to skateboard and use a computer.
He also spent a lot of time thinking about God. So, it was in his faith that he learned to draw strength. Nick was sure that if God created him this way, then this is exactly how God needs him. And, therefore, you should search, and most importantly, find your purpose. And the fact that Nick had this very purpose, and it was very important, left no doubt.
The answer came in young man, when he was already a student at Griffith University, where he studied financial planning. So, having once received an offer to speak to students, Nick simply told them what he knew. By the end of his short, regimented speech, many in the hall were crying. One of the girls even jumped on stage to hug Nick. And later, upon returning home, he announced to his parents that he understood once and for all what he could and wanted to do in life - Nick Vuychich wanted to talk to people - he wanted to be a speaker, a preacher.
He firmly decided not to stay within four walls and not stand still - in front of him was a whole open world, full of people with their suffering and troubles. And Nick felt that he had something to say to each of these people.
From that time on, his wanderings began, during which Vujicic traveled to more than two dozen countries, delivering 250 speeches a year. And offers to perform continued to exceed Nick’s capabilities.
Nick Vujicic's first book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, was published in 2010. By the way, he typed his book on his own on a computer, developing a very decent speed for a person without hands.
Today Nick lives in California, and on February 12, 2012, he married the beautiful Kanae Miyahara. His life is full of both work and relaxation - in his free time from lectures and writing, Nick plays golf, likes to fish and surf.
When Nick falls, and he does fall often, he first rests on his forehead, then on his shoulders, and every time he gets up. And in these falls, and, most importantly, rises, lies the philosophy of Nick Vujicic:
“It happens in life that you fall, and it seems you have no strength to get up. Then you wonder if you have hope... I have neither arms nor legs!.. But after another defeat I do not give up hope. I will try time after time. I want you to know that failure is not the end. It's how you finish that matters."
Nick Vujicic is a renowned Australian Christian preacher, author, social activist and motivational speaker.
This cheerful man and charismatic speaker is unique in that he has achieved worldwide recognition, despite the fact that he was born without arms and legs.
Childhood and youth
Nicholas Vujicic was born in Melbourne to Duska and Boris Vujicic, immigrants from Serbia. At the birth, the father was present in the delivery room and saw the child's shoulder without an arm. Out of fear, he ran out into the corridor, and after the end of labor he asked the doctor: “Was my son born without an arm?” The doctor made the diagnosis with great regret:
“He has no arms or legs. This is tetra-amelia.”
The disease took away the baby’s arms, and his lower extremities included an underdeveloped foot with fused toes. Surprisingly, despite all the enormity physical condition Nick was born completely healthy. His siblings also showed no abnormalities.
For the first 4 months, the mother did not allow the baby to breastfeed. His parents didn't know how to deal with him. Gradually, month after month, the parents began to get used to the special boy. They loved him for who he was, with all his flaws and characteristics.
Nick Vujicic is an avid surfer Surgery performed immediately after birth allowed the toes to be separated. Thus, Nick received his only limb, a manipulator with the help of which he had to explore the world. This helped Vujicic learn to write and even skateboard, pushing off the asphalt with his feet.
As a child, physical disabilities oppressed Nick. His parents insisted that their son attend a simple school, and the boy suffered from awareness of his own inferiority. In addition, children often bullied him because he was different from them and could not answer them. When Nick was 6 years old, he died of cancer cousin, this came as a great shock to Vujicic.
At the age of 10, he decided to commit suicide, but thoughts of his loved ones kept him from taking the fatal step. The boy imagined what pain he would cause to the people who loved him, and abandoned his terrible intention. Then Nick found himself in Christianity, realizing the power of divine love, which permeates the whole world and does not require him to be perfect.
Sermons
At the age of 17, Vujicic gave his first sermon to church parishioners. At 19, he was asked to give a speech to students at Griffith University, where he was studying at the time. The performance was a success and found a lively response among young Australians. That was the first time Nick Vujicic realized that his calling and mission was to motivate those around him with the word of God.
Preacher Nick VujicicHis unconventional appearance, charm and love of life brought popularity to the young preacher, which allowed Vujicic to found the religious charity organization “Life Without Limbs” in 1999. Over the course of several years, Nick's popularity on the continent grew so much that in 2005 he was awarded the prestigious Young Australian of the Year award.
Nick is constantly improving his level. He received 2 higher educations - in accounting and financial planning. In addition to being the founder of Life Without Limbs, he is the owner of the motivational company Attitude Is Altitude.
To convey his worldview to a wide audience, Nick Vujicic gives lectures and sermons. He has visited 45 countries and is constantly expanding the geography of his trips. In March 2015, he gave motivational lectures in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In India, 110 thousand people came to just one meeting with the speaker.
Vujicic has an excellent sense of humor. One day Nick had to fly to another lecture. He entered the plane, positioned himself in front of the passengers and introduced himself as the captain of the plane. A moment's silence gave way to enthusiastic laughter and thunderous applause.
Nick Vujicic speaking at the Kremlin in 2016 Preaching the idea of unconditional love, Nick held a hug marathon, where he hugged 1.5 thousand listeners. Within social activities a man uses the capabilities of the World Wide Web. Nick shoots videos, blogs and shares with fans details of life in "Instagram". In addition, Nick Vujicic writes books where he talks about fate and shares with readers his thoughts about man’s place in the world.
Books and films
Nick starred in a short film by Joshua Weigel. The film tells about a circus with unusual performers. Among his artists are an old man who flies under a circus big top, a kind and graceful acrobat girl, and a flexible person who fits into a suitcase. But Vujicic plays the main role in the film. His hero is used as a living exhibit, tomatoes are thrown at him, everyone mocks him.
Nick Vujicic in the movie "Butterfly Circus"The picture talks about strong man who listened to his heart and, despite the absence of arms and legs, began to live full life. The film motivates and evokes respect for Vujicic, because the plot is similar to the fate of Nick. This is one of the best motivational films according to viewers and the jury. It won first place at the Ashland, Hartland, Sedona and Method Fest Independent Film Festivals.
Nick's bibliography includes 4 bestsellers. The books talk about willpower, which can be cultivated if you believe in yourself and strive to achieve a great goal. Vujicic’s first work “Life without borders. Way to awesome happy life"was published in 2010. The book revealed to the world the phenomenon of a preacher whose life is associated with great restrictions.
In addition to talking about himself, Nick formulated the principles of a happy life on the pages of the publication. The absence of limbs does not prevent Vujicic from enjoying the joys of life, surfing, swimming, jumping from a springboard into the water. His computer typing speed reaches 43 words per minute. The preacher told the readers these and other amazing facts from his biography.
3 years later, Nick released his second work, “Unstoppable. The incredible power of faith in action."
In the book, the speaker described in detail how he managed to turn faith into action. Much attention He focused on the difficulties that every reader has to overcome every day. Soon followed by the release of the publication “Be Strong. You can overcome violence (and everything that prevents you from living),” which enjoyed no less success than previous books; it was also sorted into quotes.
Personal life
Nick was an amorous boy from childhood. His first love overtook him in 1st grade. The girl's name was Megan. At the age of 19, Vujicic fell in love again. I had a difficult relationship with the girl. The platonic romance lasted 4 years, after which the feelings cooled down. At one time, the young man thought that he would never improve his personal life and would not be able to start a family. But he was wrong.
Nick Vujicic and Kanae Miyahara Seeing his future bride for the first time, Nick experienced an explosion of emotions; he felt himself regaining his legs and arms. It was love at first sight. The writer's chosen one was Kanae Miyahara. The girl turned out to be half Japanese and half Mexican. She was also a member of the Evangelical Church. The bride's father moved to Mexico, where he founded his own business. Later, after his death, the family, consisting of his mother, two sisters and a brother, moved to the United States.
Just 3 months after they met, in the spring of 2011, Nick and Kanae decided to live together. It was not easy for the young couple, but the girl quickly got used to everyday life life together, besides, Nick at that moment lost all his savings after the financial crisis. But Kanae turned out to be a wise and patient woman.
In 2012, Nick Vujicic got married. The speaker placed the diamond engagement ring in a basket of chocolate ice cream, which is Kanae's favorite. The girl agreed. The wedding took place simply, without unnecessary publicity. Only a few photos from the celebration appeared on the Internet. Nick described the details of the novel in the book “Love Without Limits. A remarkable story of true love."
The wife loves her husband madly and copes with all responsibilities. His wife helps Nick in charitable and preaching activities. They often appear together at special events and sports matches.
A year later, on February 14, Valentine's Day, Nick Vujicic and his wife became parents for the first time. The couple had their first child, who was named Kieshi James Vujicic. The child is completely healthy (3.6 kg at birth); he did not inherit his father’s genetic pathologies. The birth of their first child inspired the couple, and their second son was born 2 years later. The boy received the name Dejan Levi.
In 2017, Nick Vujicic’s family was expanded with two charming girls. Twins Olivia and Ellie were born at the end of December. The daughters, like the speaker’s sons, are completely healthy. Nick first reported the news to his subscribers
Nicholas James (Nick) Vujicic is an Australian motivational speaker, philanthropist, writer and singer. Nick was born with a rare hereditary disease and is missing all four limbs. He learned to live with this disability and began helping children and youth with disabilities.
Probably everyone has an acquaintance who considers himself left out, and his life a failure due to the fact that he did not grow tall or has more than modest external data. Such people often withdraw into themselves and, indeed, are of no interest to anyone. And they blame anyone for this, but not themselves.
The story of Nick Vujicic is amazing: it is the story of a young, handsome, cheerful man who was born without both arms and without both legs. Now he is successful and famous. He happy husband beautiful woman and father of two sons.
His life changed from the moment he realized that he could and should help other people. He became one of the best Christian preachers.
"He is beautiful"
Nick Vujicic was born in 1982 in Brisbane (Australia) into a family of Serbian emigrants - nurse Dushka Vujicic and pastor Boris Vujicic. The mother's pregnancy proceeded normally, the father was present at the birth. Noticing that the child who appeared did not have a hand, he went out in excitement. Later, the doctor who delivered the baby told him that the baby was missing both arms and legs and only had a part of the foot with two toes (with the help of which the child would later learn to walk, write, and even swim). It turned out that the child has a rare disease - Tetra-Amelia syndrome. One of its symptoms is the absence of limbs. In those years, little was known about this disease, and children with this syndrome very often died without being born.
The father returned to the mother and, when asked what was wrong with the child, replied: “He is beautiful.”
Nick was courageous, wise and loving parents. They were true Christians, so they perceived the birth of an unusual child as a test of their faith. They did not try to limit the child's actions by treating him as a disabled person. On the contrary, they encouraged him, convincing him that he could do a lot on his own. “You have no idea what you can achieve until you try,” they told him.
Nick could ask his parents for help or younger brother or his sister, but he preferred to learn everything himself. With the help of special devices, he learned to take care of himself: take a shower, wash his hair, brush his teeth, work on the computer, swim. (Currently, 32-year-old Nick Vujicic surfs, skydives, fishes, golfs, ski jumps and dives.)
Often we ourselves are unaware of our abilities, he believes.
Own way
Nick's parents insisted that he attend a regular school rather than a school for disabled children. The child was very worried when he realized that he was not like everyone else. He had to endure ridicule from stupid peers, loneliness, and... He thought: why did God, who loves everyone, allow him to be born like this, why does he not answer his pleas to give him arms and legs? At times he was haunted by thoughts of suicide: at the age of eight, he wanted to choke on water in the bath, but his love for his parents stopped him. He knew how much they loved him, and he didn't want them to be tormented by guilt.
He no longer thought about death - he began to be occupied with thoughts of why he was born, what it was like for him. The answer was a story read to him by his mother, about a man with a serious illness who not only did not fall into despair, but also provided spiritual support to people in need.
He came to understand that God does not make mistakes - he sends trials so that people who endure them with honor fill the lives of other people with faith, hope and love.
“No one can know what God’s plans are for us,” says Nick.
He was 15 years old when he trusted God and began to help those in need: at school he became a headman and a member of the student council for charity and helping the disabled.
Motivational speaker
At the age of 19, he was invited to speak to students. Within a few minutes of his speech, half the audience was crying. And an excited girl came up on stage, hugged him and said that thanks to him, her life would change from now on. “No one has ever told me that they love me for who I am. You saved my life,” she said. And this further strengthened Nick in the consciousness that he correctly understood his purpose: to help people find joy in life and faith in themselves. “I found the purpose of my existence,” he said.
Nick Vujicic founded the non-profit organization Life without Limbs and became a professional speaker. Of course, he also understood the importance of higher education. And he even received two of them - in the specialties “accounting” and “financial planning”.
In 2005 he was nominated for the prestigious Young Australian of the Year Award. This award in Australia is given for great service to society. And in 2009 he starred in the film The Butterfly Circus, where he talked about the fate of a man without limbs.
Everything good in life begins with hope.
Nick has visited 45 countries around the world, speaking to a wide variety of audiences: students, businessmen, church meetings, etc. 110 thousand people came to his speech in India. In total, he had more than 3 thousand performances.
One day, after a performance in Singapore, a respectable man who turned out to be a successful banker approached him. And he asked Nick for help. His wealth could not protect him from moral suffering.
Nick Vujicic is often invited to interviews to tell his story. He is asked the question: “How can you smile and enjoy life?” But after talking with Nick, people understand that he lives a fuller and more varied life than many of them.
He says that you need to be able to look beyond personal circumstances, and consider obstacles and failures as an opportunity for personal growth. “And the feeling of guilt should not paralyze you,” he believes.
Thanks to Nick, many children were born, whose parents, after examination, were strongly advised by doctors to get rid of the unborn disabled child. These parents watched a video of Nick (the famous motivational video No arms, no legs, no worries) talking about what a wonderful life he had, which could have been deprived of him if doctors had found out about his disability earlier.
Nick Vujicic is not a bore, he is an interesting and sincere conversationalist, possessing... He loves jokes and all kinds of practical jokes.
Books by Nick Vujicic
He writes books by typing with two toes on a computer at approximately 43 words per minute. The first of them is “Life without borders. The path to an amazingly happy life” was published in 2010 (in 2012 the book was translated into Russian) and immediately became a bestseller.
- “Unstoppable. The incredible power of faith in action" (2013),
- "Stay strong. You can overcome violence (and everything that prevents you from living)" (2014),
- "Love without borders. Way to awesome strong love"(2015).
Love
In 2012, Nick married beautiful girl from the Philippines Kanae Miahare. In the spring of 2010, they were introduced by mutual friends. Sometimes the girl is accused of self-interest, but then she had no idea about Nick’s wealth. And in general, at that time she was already dating a young man. As Nick later said, before that he looked into the souls of people, and now she looked into his soul.
Nick Vujicic with his wife Kanae Miyahara
“I can’t hold his hand,” Kanae says. “But I can hug him.” “I can't touch my wife's hand, but I can touch her heart,” Nick said. After all, any person, even with a perfect appearance, first of all needs love, protection and support.
Contrary to idle speculation that their marriage would not last even six months, a year after the wedding the couple had their first child, Kiyoshi James Vujicic, and in August 2015, their second son, Dejan Levi Vujicic. Their children are completely healthy. Currently, Nick Vujicic and his family live in California.
Nick Vujicic is a millionaire without arms and legs, whose story will shake everyone to the core. He showed by his example that you can be happy, regardless of life situations. His every day is an example of faith that truly works miracles. Nick teaches about finding faith and hope in your heart. And most importantly, it proves that you can live a happy, full life if you perform a feat every day. This story is about the most powerful man of our time.
Birth
One of the best ways To get rid of the pain of the past is to replace it with gratitude.
December 4, 1982. Duska Vujicic is giving birth. The first child is about to be born. The husband, Boris Vujicic, is present at the birth.
A shoulder appeared. Boris turned pale and left the family room. After some time, a doctor approached him.
“Doctor, my son doesn’t have an arm?” – asked Boris. "No. Your son has neither arms nor legs,” the doctor answered.
Nicholas's parents (as the newborn was named) knew nothing about Tetra-Amelia syndrome. They didn't know how to handle a baby without arms and legs. The mother did not put her son to her breast for 4 months.
Gradually, Nick’s parents got used to accepting and loving their son for who he is.
Failure is the path to mastery.
Ham. That's what Nick nicknamed the only limb on his body. A resemblance to a foot with two fused toes, subsequently separated surgically.
But Nick thinks that his “ham” is not so bad. He learned to use it to write, type (43 words per minute), drive an electric wheelchair, and push off on a skateboard.
Not everything worked out right away. But when the time came, Nick went to a regular school, along with his healthy peers.
Despair
When you feel like giving up on your dream, force yourself to work one more day, one more week, one more month, and one more year. You will be amazed at what will happen if you don't give up.
“You don’t know how to do anything!”, “We don’t want to be friends with you!”, “You’re nobody!” – Nick heard these words every day at school.
The focus shifted: he was no longer proud of what he had learned; he's fixated on something he can never do. Hug your wife, hold your child...
One day Nick asked his mother to take him to the bathroom. Driven by the thought “Why me?” the boy tried to drown himself.
“They didn’t deserve this” - 10-year-old Nick realized that he could not do this to his parents, who loved him very much. Suicide is dishonest. Unfair towards loved ones.
Self-identification
Other people's words and actions cannot define your personality.
"What happened to you?!" – until Nick became world famous, this was the most frequently asked question to him.
Seeing a man without arms and legs, people cannot hide their shock. Sidelong glances, whispers behind his back, grins - Nick responds to everything with a smile. “It’s all because of cigarettes,” he says to those who are especially impressionable. And he makes fun of the children: “I just didn’t clean my room...”.
Humor
Laugh as much as possible. There are days in the life of any person when troubles and hardships pour in as if from a cornucopia. Don't curse trials. Be grateful to life for giving you the opportunity to learn and develop. A sense of humor will help with this.
Nick is a big joker. There are no arms or legs - life has played a trick on him, so why not laugh at it?
One day, Nick dressed up as a pilot and, with the permission of the airline, greeted passengers at the gate with the words: “Today we are experiencing new technology control the plane... and I’m your pilot.”
People who personally know Nick Vucic say that he has an excellent sense of humor. And this quality, as we know, excludes self-pity.
Talent
If you are deeply unhappy, then you are not living your life. Your talents are being misused.
Nick Vujicic has two higher education degrees: accounting and financial planning. He is a successful motivational speaker and businessman. But his main talent is the ability to persuade. Including through art.
Nick’s first book is called “Life Without Borders: The Path to an Amazingly Happy Life” (translated into 30 languages, published in Russian in 2012). In 2009, he played the main role in the short film “Butterfly Circus” (IMDb rating – 8.10). A story about finding the meaning of life.
Sport
It is impossible to argue with the fact that madness is genius: anyone who is willing to take risks appears in the eyes of others as either a madman or a genius.
“Crazy” - many people think when they watch Nick looking for a wave while surfing or jumping with a parachute.
“I realized that physical dissimilarity limits me only to the extent that I limit myself,” Vujicic once admitted and did not limit himself in anything.
Nick plays football, tennis, and swims well.
Motivation
Think of your attitude towards the world as a remote control. If you don't like the program you're watching, you simply grab the remote control and switch the TV to another program. It's the same with your attitude to life: when you're unhappy with the result, change your approach, no matter what problem you're facing.
At the age of 19, Nick was asked to speak to students at the university where he studied (Griffith University). Nicholas agreed: he came out and briefly told about himself. Many people in the audience cried, and one girl got up on stage and hugged him.
The young man understood that oratory was his calling.
Nick Vujicic traveled to 45 countries, met with 7 presidents, and spoke in front of thousands of spectators. Every day he receives dozens of requests for interviews and invitations to give a speech. Why do people want to listen to him?
Because his speeches do not boil down to the banal: “Are you having problems? Look at me – no arms, no legs, that’s who has problems!”
Nick understands that suffering cannot be compared, everyone has their own pain, and does not try to cheer people up, saying, “compared to me, everything is not so bad for you.” He just talks to them.
Embrace
I don’t have hands, and when you hug, you press right into their hearts. It's amazing!
Nick admits that since he was born without arms, he never missed them. The only thing he lacks is a handshake. He cannot shake hands with anyone.
But he found a way out. Nick hugs people... with his heart. Once Vujicic even organized a marathon of hugs - 1,749 people hugged with their hearts per day.
Love
If you are open to love, love will come. If you surround your heart with a wall, there will be no love.
They met on April 11, 2010. The beautiful Kanae Miyahara has a boyfriend, Nick has no arms or legs. It's not love at first sight. It's just love. Real, deep.
On February 12, 2012, Nick and Kanae got married. Everything is as it should be: a white dress, a tuxedo and a honeymoon in Hawaii.
Family
It is impossible to live life to the fullest if every decision you make is driven by fear. Fear will keep you from moving forward and prevent you from becoming what you want. But this is just a mood, a feeling. Fear is not real!
Tetra-Amelia syndrome is hereditary. Nick wasn't afraid.
And on August 7, Kanae Vujicic gave her husband a son weighing 3.023 kg. The baby was given the name Dejan Levi - and he is absolutely healthy.
Hope
Everything good in life begins with hope.
Nick Vujicic is a man without arms and legs. Nick Vujicic is a man who believes in miracles. There is a pair of boots in his linen closet. So... just in case. After all, in life there is always room for something more.
And this is a Nick Vujicic clip with Russian subtitles called “Something More”:
This was their long-awaited firstborn. The father was in labor. He saw the baby's shoulder - what is it? No hand. Boris Vuychich realized that he had to leave the room immediately so that his wife would not have time to notice how his face had changed. He couldn't believe what he saw.
When the doctor came out to him, he began to say:
"My son! Doesn't he have a hand?
The doctor replied:
“No... Your son has neither arms nor legs.”
Doctors refused to show the baby to the mother. The nurses were crying.
Why?
Nicholas Vujicic was born in Melbourne, Australia, into a family of Serbian emigrants. Mother is a nurse. Father & Pastor. The whole parish lamented: “Why did the Lord allow this to happen?” The pregnancy proceeded normally, everything was fine with heredity.
At first, the mother could not bring herself to take her son in her arms and could not breastfeed him. “I had no idea how I would take the child home, what to do with him, how to take care of him,” recalls Duska Vujicic. - I didn’t know who to contact with my questions. Even the doctors were at a loss. Only after four months did I begin to come to my senses. My husband and I began to solve problems without looking too far ahead. One after another."
Nick has a semblance of a foot instead of a left leg. Thanks to this, the boy learned to walk, swim, skateboard, play on the computer and write. The parents managed to get their son into a regular school. Nick became the first disabled child in a regular Australian school.
“This meant that teachers were paying too much attention to me,” Nick recalls. - On the other hand, although I had two friends, most often I heard from my peers: “Nick, go away!”, “Nick, you don’t know how to do anything!”, “We don’t want to be friends with you!”, “You’re nobody.” !
Drown yourself
Every evening Nick prayed to God and asked him: “God, give me arms and legs!” He cried and hoped that when he woke up in the morning, arms and legs would already appear. Mom and dad bought him electronic hands. But they were too heavy, and the boy was never able to use them.
On Sundays he went to church school. They taught there that the Lord loves everyone. Nick didn’t understand how this could be - why then God didn’t give him what everyone else had. Sometimes adults came up and said: “Nick, everything will be fine!” But he didn’t believe them - no one could explain to him why he was like this, and no one could help him, not even God. At the age of eight, Nicholas decided to drown himself in the bathtub. He asked his mother to take him there.
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“I turned my face into the water, but it was very difficult to hold on. Nothing worked. During this time, I imagined a picture of my funeral - my dad and mom were standing there... And then I realized that I couldn’t kill myself. All I saw from my parents was love for me.”
Change your heart
Nick never tried to commit suicide again, but he kept thinking why he should live.
He won't be able to work, he won't be able to hold his fiancée's hand, he won't be able to hold his child when he cries. One day, my mother read Nick an article about a seriously ill man who inspired others to live.
Mom said: “Nick, God needs you. I do not know how. I do not know when. But you can serve Him.”
At the age of fifteen, Nick opened the Gospel and read the parable of the blind man. The disciples asked Christ why this man was blind. Christ answered: “So that the works of God may be revealed in him.” Nick says that at that moment he stopped being angry at God.
“Then I realized I am not just a man without arms and legs. I am God's creation. God knows what He is doing and why. “It doesn’t matter what people think,” Nick says now. “God didn’t answer my prayers.” This means that He wants to change my heart more than the circumstances of my life. Probably, even if I suddenly had arms and legs, it would not calm me down so much. Arms and legs on their own.”
At nineteen, Nick studied financial planning at university. One day he was asked to speak to students. Seven minutes were allotted for the speech. Within three minutes the girls in the hall were crying. One of them could not stop sobbing, she raised her hand and asked: “Can I come up on stage and hug you?” The girl approached Nick and began to cry on his shoulder. She said: “No one ever told me they loved me, no one ever told me I was beautiful just the way I am. My life changed today."
Nick came home and announced to his parents that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. The first thing my father asked was: “Are you thinking of finishing university?” Then other questions arose:
Will you be traveling alone?
- No.
- And with whom?
- Don't know.
-What are you going to talk about?
- Don't know.
- Who will listen to you?
- Don't know.
A hundred attempts to get up
Ten months a year he is on the road, two months at home. He traveled to more than two dozen countries, more than three million people heard him - in schools, nursing homes, and prisons. It happens that Nick speaks in stadiums with thousands of seats. He performs about 250 times a year. Nick receives about three hundred offers for new performances a week. He became a professional speaker.
Before the start of the performance, an assistant carries Nick onto the stage and helps him sit on some raised platform so that he can be seen. Then Nick tells episodes from his everyday life. About how people still stare at him on the streets. About the fact that when children run up and ask: “What happened to you?!” He answers in a hoarse voice: “It’s all because of cigarettes!”
And to those who are younger, he says: “I didn’t clean my room.” He calls what is in place of his legs a “ham.” Nick says his dog likes to bite him. And then he begins to beat out a fashionable rhythm with his ham.
After that he says: “And to be honest, sometimes you can fall like this.” Nick falls face first into the table he was standing on.
And he continues:
“It happens in life that you fall, and it seems you have no strength to get up. You wonder then if you have hope... I have neither arms nor legs! It seems that even if I try to get up a hundred times, I won’t be able to. But after another defeat, I don’t give up hope. I will try again and again. I want you to know that failure is not the end. What matters is how you finish. Are you going to finish strong? Then you will find the strength to rise up - in this way.”
He leans his forehead, then helps himself with his shoulders and stands up.
The women in the audience begin to cry.
And Nick begins to talk about gratitude to God.
I'm not saving anyone
-Are people touched and consoled because they see that someone is having a harder time than they are?
Sometimes they tell me: “No, no! I can’t imagine myself without arms and legs!” But it is impossible to compare suffering, and it is not necessary. What can I say to someone whose loved one is dying of cancer or whose parents are divorced? I don't understand their pain.
One day a twenty-year-old woman approached me. She was kidnapped when she was ten years old, enslaved and abused. During this time, she had two children, one of them died. Now she has AIDS. Her parents don't want to communicate with her. What can she hope for? She said that if she had not believed in God, she would have committed suicide. Now she talks about her faith with other AIDS patients so they can hear her.
Last year I met people who had a son without arms and legs. The doctors said: “He will be a plant for the rest of his life. He won’t be able to walk, he won’t be able to study, he won’t be able to do anything.” And suddenly they found out about me and met me in person - another person like him. And they had hope. It is important for everyone to know that they are not alone and that they are loved.
Why did you believe in God?
I couldn't find anything else that would give me peace. Through the word of God, I learned the truth about the purpose of my life - about who I am, why I live, and where I will go when I die. Without faith, nothing made sense.
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There is a lot of pain in this life, so there must be absolute Truth, absolute Hope, which is above all circumstances. My hope is in heaven. If you associate your happiness with temporary things, it will be temporary.
I can tell you many times when teenagers came up to me and said: “Today I looked in the mirror with a knife in my hand. This was supposed to be the last day of my life. You saved me".
A woman came up to me one day and said, “Today is my daughter’s second birthday. Two years ago she listened to you and you saved her life.” But I can’t save myself either! Only God can. What I have is not Nick's achievements. If it were not for God, I would not be here with you and would no longer exist in the world. I couldn't handle my trials on my own. And I thank God that my example inspires people.
What can inspire you besides faith and family?
A friend's smile.
Once I was informed that a terminally ill guy wanted to see me. He was eighteen years old. He was already very weak and could not move at all. I entered his room for the first time. And he smiled. It was a precious smile. I told him that I don’t know how I would feel in his place, that he is my hero.
We saw each other several more times. I asked him one day: “What would you like to say to all people?” He said, "What do you mean?" I replied: “If only there was a camera here.” And every person in the world could see you. What would you say?
He asked for time to think. The last time we talked on the phone, he was already so weak that I could not hear his voice on the phone. We spoke through his father. This guy said, “I know what I would say to all the people. Try to be a milestone in someone's life story. At least do something. Something to be remembered."
Hug without hands
Nick used to fight for independence in every detail. Now, due to a busy schedule, more cases have begun to be entrusted to the patronage worker, who helps with dressing, moving and other routine matters. Nick's childhood fears did not come true. He recently got engaged, is about to get married, and now believes that he doesn’t need hands to hold his bride’s heart. He no longer worries about how he will communicate with his children. Chance helped. An unfamiliar two-year-old girl approached him. She saw that Nick had no hands. Then the girl put her hands behind her back and laid her head on his shoulder.
Nick with his bride
Nick can't shake anyone's hand - he hugs people. And even set a world record. A guy without arms hugged 1,749 people in an hour. He wrote a book about his life while typing 43 words per minute on a computer. In between work trips, he fishes, plays golf and surfs.
“I don’t always get up in the morning with a smile on my face. Sometimes my back hurts,” says Nick, “But because there is great strength in my principles, I continue to take small steps forward, baby steps.” Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act, relying not on one’s own strength, but on God’s help.
Parents of disabled children usually divorce. My parents didn't divorce. Do you think they were scared? Yes. Do you think they trusted God? Yes. Do you think they are now seeing the fruits of their labors? Absolutely right.
How many people would believe it if they showed me on TV and said, “This guy prayed to the Lord and he got arms and legs”? But when people see me as I am, they wonder: “How can you smile?” For them this is a visible miracle. I need my trials to make me realize how dependent I am on God. Other people need my testimony that “the power of God is made perfect in weakness.” They look into the eyes of a man without arms and without legs and see in them peace, joy - what everyone strives for.”
