Despite losing both his arms in an accident when he was very young, Chinese farmer Chen Xingyin has not allowed his disability to stop him from working hard or living a normal life. The 48-year-old from Chongqing city accomplishes most tasks using his mouth and feet, and even manages to care for his 91-year-old mother.

Chen’s heartwarming story recently caught the attention of Chinese netizens, and he has been making headlines since then. “I have good feet even though I don’t have hands,” he told Chinese media. He vehemently opposed the idea of begging for money at the city’s railway station, even though beggars manage to earn a lot more than he does. Instead, Chen says he prefers to work for a living, and he uses the income to take care of his elderly mother. 

Chen lost his arms in an electrical accident when he was only seven years old. His two sisters got married when he was 14, and his father and older brother died before he was 22. Since then, he has taught himself to cook, farm, and perform household chores using his feet and mouth. He can even cut wood and light a fire with his toes. He raises pigs, chickens, and is even growing some crops. He’s got over 20 goats and he herds the animals to graze every afternoon.

Chen’s mother has been very ill for the past month – he has been cooking her meals and giving her medicines three times a day. He even feeds her by holding spoonfuls of food out with his mouth. Although his sister has offered to help him, he says he wants to do it himself, because he’s a single man without many problems. The man’s resilience is truly admirable!

His neighbours vouch for his unquenchable spirit and courage. “Even though he doesn’t have any arms, he still works faster than most people,” one villager said. And social media users in China are bowled over by images of how he goes about his daily chores. “In some ways, his feet look more useful than my hands,” a user wrote. “What I respect about him the most is how hard he works to make his own life better instead of relying on help from others.”

“I felt like crying when I saw the picture of him feeding his mom,” another wrote.

“People like him deserve more attention and should serve as our example.” one person commented. “I wish him happiness.”

This is not the first time we’ve seen people with nor arms achieve incredible things. Peter Longstaff and Huang Guofu are renowned artists, one painting with his feet and the other with his mouth, while Jia Wenqi is a double amputee who, together with his blind friend, has planted over 10,000 trees in the last decade.

via Shanghaiist