Content creator Nadia Lauricella (29) from Sicily, Italy was born with a rare condition affecting less than one-in-one hundred thousand babies born each year called Phocomelia Syndrome.

The condition presents in Nadia as a lack of upper limbs, one missing leg and a partially developed right leg with a severely curved spine.

Phocomelia syndrome is a rare birth defect characterised, in most instances, by severe malformation of the extremities.

Infants born with this condition will have arms and/or legs that are severely shortened or sometimes completely absent.

Reports indicate that true phocomelia occurs in 0.62 live births per every 100,000 patients.

It is not genetic and Nadia is the only person in her family affected by the condition.

However severe her condition, Nadia insists that no way has it slowed her down in life. She loves make-up and fashion, and has grown her social media following to one million TikTok followers.

Her biggest passion is fitness and Nadia works out in the gym four times a week for two-hours-a-day and lives by the motto ‘We are surrounded by magic. You just have to observe.’

“I have a rather important disability that does not prevent me from living a fulfilling life even if I am not autonomous in certain things,” said Nadia.

“I am very active on social networks with more than one million followers on Tiktok and 100,000 on Instagram. I am a big fan of make-up, fashion and of course fitness.

“For my family my disability was a surprise at my birth in the ultrasounds they hadn't noticed anything.

“My pathology is called Phocomelia Syndrome, it is characterised in my case by the lack of upper limbs, the partially developed right leg and the severely curved spine.

“It's not genetic, in fact I'm the only one in the family with this pathology.

“I had two surgeries at the age of four on my spine to improve my scoliosis.

“In my life in general I have suffered a lot from the heaviness of stereotypes and prejudice.

“Living in a small village, many people lingered only on my disability, not trying to get to know me personally.

“When I expressed the desire to train, I was told that I would never be able to do it, that it wasn't suitable for me.”

Nadia has had the support of her family the whole way and it has helped her believe in herself and her training.

“I was very fortunate to be born into an extraordinary family, their love and support have never failed me even in the most difficult moments,” she said.

“The doctors immediately explained my condition to my parents, asking them what they wanted to do.

“From the first moment my parents loved me madly, telling them that they had to give me all possible care.

“My mother immediately wanted to pick me up and give me a bottle for the first time.

“Then there are my friends who are my angels who never leave me.

“Today I feel I am a much more mature woman and above all one who has learned to accept her condition and to love herself with all her faults and shortcomings.

“The day I decided to have a prosthetic leg after a very long rehabilitation process that finally allowed me to practise my passion for fitness, obtaining many benefits, including physical ones, I feel I am more confident and ready to face all the challenges of the world.

“There isn't actually a more difficult part of the exercise for me, I always put a lot of effort into my workouts.

“My best achievement in the gym was when I could push 42 kg with one leg on the leg press.

“My training always starts with the Tapirulan to improve resistance, then through targeted exercises we go to enhance strength and improve balance.

“I love training on the leg press, leg curly, step up, abs, lateral lunges, Bulgarian lunges and free body work, it all helps me get stronger.

“I don't follow any diets, I don't take any supplements, I don't need to avoid any foods.

“I am improving myself and my fitness every day. You have to be consistent, to be different doesn't mean you can’t do something, it just means you do it differently.

ENDS