Tatsiana Khvitsko was born with no legs and only four fingers after being exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster as an unborn baby.
Like many children born with deformities in the wake of the 1986 explosion, her parents abandoned her at an orphanage where she learned to walk on her knees.
Over the next 24 years, Tatsiana continued to defy the odds by becoming a competitive runner, cross-fit athlete and bodybuilder with thousands of adoring fans on social media.
Tatsiana was born in Belarus just four years after a fire and explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which released enormous amounts of radiation across Eastern Europe.
The doctors attributed her physical defects – no legs, just three fingers on her left hand and one on her right – to radiation exposure.
Unable to cope, her parents left her at an orphanage where she was adopted by a loving family aged four.
It was not until she was 13 that Tatsiana discovered the family who took her in was the same one who gave her up.
She said: ‘One day I saw a picture of my mum, Luda, when she was 13 and we were identical. I asked my mum and she broke down crying.
‘She said she was my biological mum and had given me up when I was a baby, but brought me back home four years later.
‘They had kept it a secret from me that I was their biological daughter. I had no idea, I always thought I was adopted.’
She does not hold a grudge against her parents for abandoning her because she believes they had her best interests at heart.
A year after she moved back home, Tatsiana was sent to a Belarus boarding school to live with other disabled children, but it was obvious that the country was not equipped to help someone with her physical problems.
It so happened that US doctors from the Project Restoration charity were in Belarus looking for disabled children-in-need.
They discovered Tatsiana as a six-year-old and flew her to Kansas City where she was fitted with new prosthetics.
She spent the school year in Belarus and every summer, she would travel the the 5,000 miles to America alone to receive treatment.
While there, she stayed with one of three foster families, who she still sees once a week and was even a bridesmaid for two of her adopted-sisters’ weddings.
Tatsiana fell in love with America where she only got ‘positive attention’ while in Belarus, people would stare at her prosthetics.
She said: ‘People would treat you differently in Belarus. I wasn’t allowed to wear skirts or dresses that showed my prosthetic legs. Here in Kansas, no one cares.’
In 2008, she made the move to Kansas City permanent and enrolled at university. Her attention soon turned to running and a company in Florida generously donated her a pair of running legs.
She said: ‘The moment I put on my blades I felt like I was flying. I was running so fast someone had to catch me because I didn’t know how to stop. I’ve run ever since, I want to feel that feeling of flying over and over again.’
Just three months after receiving her blades, Tanya competed in her first 5km run and has since raced two half-marathons and dozens of 10km races.
She recently upped her personal challenge by taking up cross-fit, a full-body workout using a combination of cardio, strength and weight training – although exercises such as squats and pull-ups require modifications.
Because of her fingers, she uses straps to lift weights and needs to keep a safety-box behind her when she squats.
Tatsiana admits to being angry about her body’s limitations, saying: ‘Sometimes there are times in my gym where I’ll do a workout and I feel frustrated because I have to take time to do the exercises.
‘I have to try to figure out how to do the moves when the able-bodies are doing the workout fine. But I’m exploring my disability and realising what I can and can’t do.’
Despite her upbeat personality and positive outlook, she admits her disability can get her down.
She said: ‘At times I do wish I was different. I’m athletic but I’m very girly, I love makeup and I love dressing up. I love to go out with my girlfriends shopping or to a party.
‘Sometimes I wish I had legs to wear heels. But at the same time I don’t know if I had legs if I would be as passionate as I am. I don’t think I would be as grateful as I am today.
‘I’m so strong physically and mentally and emotionally and I think it’s because of my disability. Running gave me confidence. You can hide a prosthetic under a long skirt but you can’t hide a blade.
‘Running made me realise it was okay to be an amputee. And every time I put on my running blades I feel like a badass.’
Despite her down days Tanya wants to show her disability does not hold her back and competed in a bodybuilding competition earlier this year.
She was the only disabled contestant in the heat and although she didn’t get through to the next round, she was inundated with support from strangers on social media.
She said: ‘I got so many girls messaging me saying how I inspired them. I just want to show disabled and able-bodied people that you can do anything. Your body doesn’t hold you back and if you’re determined enough you will succeed.’
Courtesy of: Daily Mail UK