January 10, 2017
No arms. No legs. No limits.
By: Sheryl Wilde
“To state the obvious, I have no limbs, and this has placed me in the group of people born into this world with immediate challenges. But I am here right now to let you all know that life is worth living no matter what.
“The challenges you face throughout your life are just invitations to search into the deep of your soul for strength and to learn to love all the effort you put into overcoming each obstacle. It is very true that the harder one has to work to attain a goal, the more joy comes out of that experience.”
It may seem incredible to those who haven’t met Colombian-born, Mouth-and-Foot Artist, Zuly Sanguino, but the first thing one notices when meeting her isn’t the fact that she has no arms or legs. No. The first thing one notices about Zuly is the joy that emanates from somewhere deep within her that radiates outward in all directions – through her smile, through her eyes, and through the vibrantly colored art she creates with the paint brush she holds between her lips.
Zuly recently visited Mountain Shadows Outreach Services. “Zuly is not disabled, because she doesn’t allow herself to be,” says Arlene Galvan, Mountain Shadows Outreach Services.
“Zuly was truly an inspiration to our clients. They saw her indomitable spirit through their own eyes. They saw that they can choose to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t do. They all could relate to her story.
“One client in particular, Mary*, connected deeply with Zuly. Mary was an emergency placement at Mountain Shadows. She had been abused at home and was terrified of everything and everyone at first. But there was an immediate chemistry between Mary and Zuly. It was amazing to see.
“Because Zuly understood and could relate to her experiences, she poured out her heart to Mary. She shared experiences from her childhood about the abuse she had suffered, about growing up disabled, about the fear she felt – all of it. Mary was afraid at first to speak, but when Zuly opened up, she started to talk.”
When Zuly said she had been abused, Mary said quietly, “Me too.”
“Then Mary had a flood of emotions and started to talk freely. The whole room was quiet. Zuly really touched her. It was amazing to see. By the end of their conversation, everyone in the room was crying. The moment was so genuine. It was so beautiful and emotional.
“After that day, Mary really opened up. Her fears began to lessen. And she started wanting to do art, to draw! She has ataxia (shaking and lack of muscle control and coordination) so she likes to use jumbo crayons. And she just loves to draw now. She’s realized she has a voice through her art! She draws everything with her crayons. And she uses really bright colors. Always bright, bright colors. The colors are a reflection of how she feels now.”
“I live a life without limbs and full of dreams,” says Zuly. “We can always do things when we put our hearts into it. Obstacles teach us. They make us grow as people.
“My message to you is: Be strong. Believe in yourself. Give love and let yourself be loved. Succeed! And then motivate at least one other person to do the same. Fight to be the person who helped make someone else’s life better.”
No arms. No legs. No limits.
“One time I had a dream where I painted without arms. And I walked without legs, and I also discovered in that dream, I could fly without wings.” ~ Zuly Sanguino
*name changed