Woman Born With No Arms Learns to Take Care of Her Baby Using Her Feet, Proving Nothing’s Impossible

Dejana Backo is an exceptional artist and athlete whose life is a story of overcoming challenges and coming out stronger. With a powerful message of self-discovery and empowerment, Dejana seeks to illuminate the struggles faced by people with disabilities while inspiring countless others. However, a new chapter has begun in her life as Dejana recently embraced motherhood, leading her to take a break from her passion to care for her little one.

Embracing her unique body with pride.

Born on December 9, 1994, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Dejana Backo defied the odds from the start. Being born without upper extremities didn’t stop her. Instead, it fueled her journey to extraordinary heights as an artist and athlete.

Growing up, Dejana used to wonder why she was different, but with time, she came to realize that her disability wouldn’t restrict her from leading a fulfilling life. Apart from her achievements, she enjoys an adventurous life with her husband, Marko, exploring new places and sharing their escapades on social media.

She proved what she’s really capable of.

Her artistic flair sparked early when she joined the Society of Mouth and Foot Painters at 9. After graduating from Design Art School in 2014, she continued her education at Novi Sad’s Academy of Fine Arts. Over the years, she took her art to nearly 20 cities across the Balkans in solo exhibitions.

Known as the ’girl with wings,’ Dejana stands as an icon of empowerment in Serbia. Despite being born without arms, she reached unprecedented heights, achieving world champion status in para taekwondo at the 2019 World Para Taekwondo Championship in Turkey—a groundbreaking feat for her country. Her other goal was to compete in the Paralympic Games, but when she found out her category wasn’t included in taekwondo, she started delving into para archery.

From sports star to super mama

In February 2023, Dejana celebrated another major milestone as she gave birth to her first daughter. To prepare for this new role, she chose to step back from competitive sports, which means she will miss out on her chance to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Yet, despite the break from the arena, she continues sharing her messages on social media. Now that Dejana has become a new mom, she also shares her motherhood journey, revealing all the challenges and victories. Dejana said, “It was not easy in the beginning. I wanted to pick up our baby so badly by myself, but I could not do it.”

She had to improvise ways of doing her parenting tasks and is learning ’everything she needs to learn’ to take care of her daughter. In her videos, she does many things using her feet, like feeding her daughter, taking her out of her crib, and even changing her diaper.

“When I feed her now, I just need help from my husband to put her on a pillow and into my legs. I can do many things alone, but they still take more time,” she added.

People praised her for bravely sharing her ups and downs. Overwhelmed by the kind messages, Dejana modestly insisted that she’s just documenting her family’s everyday life while doing things their own way. Nevertheless, the mother is sure she can get through any obstacles that stand in her way.

Dejana Backo proves that she can give her best to care for her daughter despite the challenges, but she’s not the only one. A Paraguayan father, born without arms and legs, has also defied the odds in raising his family on his own.