14 DAY TRIAL // 35-year-old Linda Bannon and her son, Timmy, were both born with no arms due to a rare medical disorder that specialists call the Holt-Oram syndrome and that has been documented to affect the development of a person's upper limbs.
However, the two say that they are well capable of looking after themselves and completing simple tasks such as doing the dishes, cooking dinner, bathing themselves, and making the bed.
To do all these things, Linda and Timmy use their feet, which they have learned to rely on as if they were their hands and arms. Photos showing the two eating, getting dressed, and doing the dishes are available in the gallery below.
According to Daily Mail, 35-year-old Linda Bannon met and married her husband Richard back in 2004. Not too long after, the couple decided that they wanted a child. Soon enough, Timmy, who is now 9 years old, was born.
While she was pregnant, Linda was told that Timmy had a 50% chance to be born suffering from the Holt-Oram syndrome. Despite being all too familiar with the struggles of having to deal with this condition, Linda kept the baby.
“After I became pregnant we were told that there was a 50 per cent chance our baby could inherit my condition. I questioned whether we were doing the right thing, but we really wanted a family,” the woman said in a statement.
Because this disorder also causes heart problems, Timmy was born with holes in his heart, and was only released from hospital about two months after delivery. While he was still very young, his mom taught him how to take care of himself using his legs alone.
“I showed him how to grip a toothbrush and cutlery with his feet,” Linda told the press in an interview. “He swims on his back using his legs to propel himself. He gets down sometimes when he can't do things like ride a bike. But he never stays upset for long,” the woman added.
35-year-old Linda Bannon maintains that, anatomical quirks aside, there is no reason Timmy should not find love and get married once he is somewhat older. Thus, the woman argues that, contrary to what some might assume, people with disabilities can lead a fairly normal life.
As proud of Timmy as she might be, 35-year-old Linda admits that, at least for the time being, she is not considering having any more children. The woman says this is because she fears that they too might develop severe and potentially health-threatening heart trouble, just as Timmy did after his birth.
“I'm not having any more kids as I couldn't bear to see them go through the same heart problems Timmy had,” Linda said. “I want to raise awareness about my disability and show you can live a full life,” the 35-year-old went on to detail her plans for the future.
