4ftPhotoz

I was born in Belarus Russia. I have only 1 arm and 2 fingers. I am also what you call “dwarf size,” I’m also 4ft 2inches (hence the ’4ft’ in 4ftPhotoz), so enjoy my photography from a 4ft point of view.These birth effects caused me to look like this possibly do to the nuclear explosion in 1986 Chernobyl accident. But we are not for sure if that’s what caused it. I lived in Belarus Russia for 5 years of my life as an orphan. I was in such bad shape that I needed to go to a hospital in America along with the other orphans that were affected by Chernobyl. A young lady visited me in the orphanage and saw that I needed lots of medical help. So she decided to take a program called Project Restoration. She took six other kids and I to America. We had a horrible thunder and lightning storm on our flight to America. Thankfully we made it safely.

I had to stay with one support family while I was getting surgeries done on my two fingers, and my right foot that was completely slanted to the right. I also had a little arm on the left that barley grew. I stayed in America for a while and the surgeries were going great so there was a picnic party for the 6 kids and their successful surgeries. And that’s where I met the my adoptive family. I was sitting on the picnic blanket and they came to talk to me. But was time for them to leave. Although I still needed one more surgery and o support family to stay with. So the lady that brought us over here was determined to get me a support family. Little did I know that the support family that was going to take care of me was the same family that I met at the picnic.
I didn’t know it was going to be that family until they came to pick me up! And let me tell you I was a night mare toddler. I spoke no English I was hungry, hot, tired, and wanted to go to the bathroom. In fact they were not willing to be my support family. But through the power of god and all the hard work they put in while being my support family. So they gave it all to god and decided to take the chance of adopting a 5 year old from Russia (me). Today I’m an ordinary teen who attempts to play the guitar with my feet, write with my feet, and argue with my adoptive parents. There have been times were I thought I was a mistake made by a “man made” accident. So why would I be thankful for my disability? After all it wasn’t my fault. Well I don’t think I would be who i am today if I didn’t have my disabilities. I wouldn’t be sent to America to get medical help. I wouldn’t be taught at one of the best high schools.

There are a lot of things I wished could have happened. Like no nuclear accident, no disability, and no orphanage. But ironically if those things didn’t happen I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now. I would still be living in a poor country. My birth parents wouldn’t be able to provide for me no matter how much they loved me. It wouldn’t be a great place to live. Is a disability so important that you are willing to give up the life you have now? It’s not to me. And yes, it’s hard to except myself some times when our society tells us we need to look perfect. Well to bad for those advertisers on TV, magazine, radio, exc. I could really careless! These events have made me much stronger then I could ever be! I don’t think I would be as good of a problem solver as I am. With only one arm you can only do so much. I also have learned not to judge someone by their cover. I have a different outlook on life (most days). Like I said I wouldn’t be who i am today if I wasn’t disabled. Life maybe unfair, but it’s how deal with the situation can determine who you are as a person. This is the message God and I want to spread out to others. This is why I put up with an aching stomach and a sweaty palm, because I love motivational speaking. And most importantly I love God. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for him. He taught me how to love and accept myself. Because of God, I now see my disability as a way to help others. The struggles I have been through in my life were for a reason and still are for a reason! Thanks God, for everything!

So enjoy my photography from a 4ft point of view.