When I was young, I used to pick up things with my foot or my mouth and announce to everyone look NO HANDS. The people would give out an encouraging cheer. As I thought, if I could pick up things without using my hands then I'd be like a circus performer, like I am doing something that other people can't do. I the effort that you have to make to pick up something without hands is extremely difficult and creating something beautiful without out the used your hands is just epic.
A friend of mind told me that there is this Filipina chief on television that chops up vegetable so beautifully. I stopped her and told her what so beautiful about chopping vegetables. I mean its a feat that could be performed by a lot of people. My friend answered will not in her case though. She looked at me with eyes wide-open with a smile in her face and uttered that this lady has to hands. Suddenly, I felt the pang of guilt in my heart for uttering such words. A short while later I felt that flood of sorry envelope me. I asked my friend for this girls name but she did not remember. I just had to find out and look at her for myself. So, I resorted to the most readily available means of research today, Google.
I googled the matter using this exact phrase "Filipina Chef with No Hands ". There was a long list of search results. One of which is this wonderful article by Bo Sanchez http://www.philippinesentinel.org/2010/12/a-filipino-chef-without-hands-by-bo-sanchez/.
This is miss Maricel Apatan the "Chief with no Hands". She got her hacked off by a couple of goons that killed her uncle. At the tender age of eleven she was fighting for her life, as she pretended to be dead as the goons run away from the scene of the crime. When, Maricel realize that the attackers where gone she struggled to make her way home while her hands where held only by a small amount of flesh. At such a young age, she was left with the realization that she is going to live the rest of life without hands. In those early years she struggled to get a since of normality back into her life. Then despite all the hardships that she has to go through she managed to turned the disability into an opportunity.
Maricel Apatan's story is featured in RD Asia with the title "Recipe for Inspiration". You can also watch her life being portrayed in Magpakailanman and you could easily find that episode in youtube.com. Here is also a brief feature of Ms. Apatan in the morning show UH Morning Star.
If you are going through a hard time you just give it your best work hard and set your eyes on the price. If you feel like you can't do it anymore think of people like Maricel who turned something negative into an infinite possibility.
Imagine if someone with no hands can make something beautiful as this. I don't feel sorry for her anymore, in fact I feel sorry for feeling sorry for her. I mean of my twenty years of existence what have I done with my two hands?
I look at her and I don't see a disable person, I see my inspiration. You can fight whether its a physical,emotional, or that state of mind where you perceive you can not do something. You can rise, work pray and be inspiration to a lot of people. I hope by spreading Maricel's story I will be able to spread a positive wave of inspiration.
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