MTUNISHA MISULI WA KIKE ASIYEKUWA NA MIKONO AWASHANGAZA WATIZAMAJI

Barbie Thomas (katikati) alipoteza mikono yake yote akiwa na umri wa miaka 2. Binti huyo alikuwa akicheza nje kwenye maskani yao huko Texas nchini Marekani na kukwea kwenye transformer, akanaswa na waya na kupigwa shoti. Umeme ulisafiri kwenye mwili wake mdogo, toka mikononi hadi unyayoni ukateketeza mikono yake hadi kwenye mifupa.

"They were like charcoal," she writes in her biography on her website, Fitness Unarmed "They were completely dead and had to be amputated at the shoulders."

No one expected Thomas to live. But today, at 37, she has accomplished what was once regarded as the impossible: Thomas is a competitive body builder and model.

"I thank God I am alive," said Thomas, who now lives in Phoenix with her two sons, aged 13 and 17. She uses her shoulders as arms, which her children call her "nubs."

"They are in the same realm as body builders, but instead of seeing the deep-cut muscles, they want to see a nice feminine shape," Thomas said. Experts say something in between a body builder and a bikini girl.

Her dance routines include splits and high kicks and even the ninja kip-up. Thomas placed sixth in June at Jr. Nationals and fifth in August at the North American Championships.

The National Physique Committee (NPC), which is the amateur division of the International Federation of Body Builders, was so impressed with her performance in their fitness division last year, they gave Thomas their first-ever Inspiration Award.

"She chose the most difficult division of all," said Miles Nuessle, Arizona chairman of the NPC.

"We were thinking, 'How can she do that routine?' but she blew our minds," he said. "She was absolutely beautiful. She was on the floor jumping up and doing splits. I don't know what half the moves were called. She was rolling all over the place and shaking it -- sexy, athletic, fun and emotional. The crowd went nuts.

"You can't use the word handicapped with her or she may punch you in the face," he said. "Barbie is not handicapped."

After the childhood accident, doctors said Thomas might live like a vegetable for the rest of her life. But her mother prayed that if that were the case, "God would just take me," Thomas writes. "She also made a promise to God that day -- if he let me live, she would make sure that I became 'somebody.'"

"The doctors were boggled by my recovery," she said. "They decided I must have survived because of the rubber soles on my tennis shoes. True, they may have played their part, but I believe I survived because God saw the bigger picture and had plans for me."

Thomas went through extensive physical and occupational therapy. Adapting to a world without arms was a challenge and even years later, when she was independent, she'd have to improvise to do ordinary tasks.

She makes full use of her feet in both dance competitions and at home, using them to open doors, plug in her music and grab her bags. She uses her mouth to fasten the Velcro snaps on her dance shoes.

"I'd go to the gym doing aerobic lifting with weights after the oldest son was born," she said. "I read about [fitness competition] in athletes' magazines and thought it was cool. Finally, I was encouraged by a friend and decided to go for it."

She began competing in 2003, and she faced some odd stares.

CHANZO: yahoo news.

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