A man born with deformed legs has overcome his disability – by learning to walk on his hands.
Ethiopian Tameru Zegeye faced a miserable life after being abandoned as a child by his mother, who believed he was a cursed ‘devil child’.
He was adopted by the church and at first made his way around by crawling like a snake.
But by the age of seven he had bravely started to turn his life around by learning to walk on his bare hands.
He began by entertaining classmates with his skills and then went a step further by using his crutches and sticks to balance on.
Since then he has spent the last ten years practising his remarkable ability, getting up at 5am each day to build up his strength, balance and concentration.
Tameru, age 30, can now travel long distances on his two sticks and even make his way down a flight of 50 steps with them, his legs high above him.
He had operations at the age of 15 to correct his leg and feet deformities and can walk upright for a short distance unaided.
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But he continues to parade his skills in Addis Ababa and hopes to show other disabled people how a hands-on attitude can change their lives.
He said: “I am disabled, but disabled people have talent.
“I can walk 75 metres along a field on sticks and I can walk down more than 50 steps.
“No-one has tried that before, so I can claim two records.”
He added: “My grandfather told me that every human being has the right to two things – living and having dreams.
“I want to teach some of my stunts and tricks to normal and disabled people and give them motivation.”
