Meet the Belgian woman born with no arms who can cook food, dress her baby, and paint using her feet.
Sarah Talbi, 38, from Brussels, Belgium, was born without any upper limbs. She learned to eat, dress herself, and brush her hair using her feet. As she got older, she developed more skills like chopping vegetables and doing her make-up, all with her toes.
Sarah is now a stay-at-home mom to a 2-year-old daughter, Lilia, whom she cooks for, dresses, and plays with. The baby girl sees her mom as no different and holds onto Sarah’s sleeve when they cross the road.
“I can do anything with my feet as long as I don’t have shoes on," Sarah said. “I put my make-up on, dress, cook, shower, [and] look after Lilia—I can do everything I want.”
Sarah said she didn’t see herself as any different as a child, adding that it is just like how a “baby takes everything with their hands and makes a mess.”
“I did the same with my feet so my brain was connecting to my feet,” she said. “I could do everything a toddler the same age could do, just with my feet. As I got older I could eat, but I struggled to write. Those things came later, I learned it because it was the age of learning.
“Some other children asked why I didn’t have arms but for me, it was totally normal. “I thought there were lots of other people without arms and I was just one of those people.”
Sarah went on to study English and Spanish translation in Brussels without extra support.
“I was able to do it like anyone else,” she said. “When I did Erasmus [a student exchange program run by the European Union], I had to move but I moved in with friends and we had an apartment together. I just had an experience like anyone would have done and I did that without struggling.”
In September 2018, Sarah gave birth to Lilia.
“It is a huge achievement becoming a mom,“ she said. ”It’s my best achievement.
“I think it’s hard for any woman to become a mom because it’s such a big change, plus having a disability, you are dealing with two things. But my disability had to adapt to having a baby.
“Now I have two years of experience and I can do everything with my daughter.
“She holds me by my sleeve when we walk along the street. It’s unbelievable, she’s holding it like a hand. It’s funny because sometimes she’ll want to run off and touch something in the street and she asks and tugs my sleeve.
“She doesn’t know I can’t hold her back yet, which is sweet.”
Sarah has even found that she can paint using her feet, and is looking forward to putting on more exhibitions to showcase her work. She also showcases her work on her social media channel.
“I do it with my feet like everything else,“ she said. “My main inspiration is nature, I love painting landscapes. I love nature and traveling and I really miss it.”
Sarah says she hasn’t met any other woman who has the same disability as her.
“I have adapted entirely myself and I can do everything I want,” she said. “I don’t let it hold me back.”
