Nathan Spencer has learned to adapt to life with no arms – eating, writing and even driving with his feet.
The 24-year-old from Utah was just three years old when his parents noticed he couldn’t hold his blanket or a cup of water.
At the time, the toddler showed symptoms of the flu, including fever and weakness but doctors suspected Mr Spencer was suffering from polio as he continued to lose sensation in his arms.
He kept getting sicker and was rushed to the hospital. Within an hour of arriving, he had lost all use of his arms.
Mr Spencer’s symptoms left doctors confused and they could not give the family a definitive diagnosis.
For years, Nathan underwent intense occupational therapy and had to relearn how to sit, hold his head up, walk, talk and breathe without a ventilator.
But in 2014, at the age of 13 the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention identified the disease he was suffering from after numerous cases similar to his were being reported across the country.
He was diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare neurological condition that causes muscles and reflexes to become weak and ultimately paralyzed.
Nathan Spencer, 24, has revealed how he carries out tasks using his feet after a spinal infection left him semi-paralyzed
He was three years old when he showed all symptoms of the common flu and doctors suspected he was suffering from polio
While the exact causes of AFM are unknown, it is believed to be triggered by a viral infection in most cases.
It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter – a type of tissue in the spinal cord that plays a crucial role in normal function – which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak.
The most common signs and symptoms include sudden weakness in the arms or legs, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing and in extreme conditions, respiratory failure.
Since being recognized in 2014, there have been less than 700 confirmed cases of this polio-like disease nationwide.
The condition has no specific cure and treatments such as physical therapy, wheelchairs and braces primarily focus on managing symptoms and supporting recovery.
For Mr Spencer, the disease completely paralyzed his arms and he can only move three of his fingers slightly.
For years, Mr Spencer’s case remained a mystery, but in 2014 the CDC identified the condition he was suffering from
He told DailyMail.com: ‘I had to learn how to do everything over again including walking, talking and sitting up.
‘Because I was so young when all this happened, I only ever learned by doing things with my feet.
‘Writing, coloring, eating, dressing, brushing teeth, cooking, typing, drawing, video games, piano and skiing are among the many things I do.
‘I live on my own and have had to learn how to make the world work for me.’
As Spencer turned 16 years old, he wanted to get his driver’s license like any other teenager. So, he started to learn how to drive with his feet.
He told the website: ‘So at the time, my parents were like, “You know what? Let’s just roll with it. Let’s see what’s going to happen.”
‘And we’d gone to a church parking lot to drive my dad’s old car. I did pretty well. My parents thought I did a lot better than my twin brother.’
But due to his condition, Mr Spencer required modifications to safely and effectively drive including steering wheel knobs and ramps.
However, those modifications were too expensive and ‘no insurance company would cover it.’
Despite this setback, Mr Spencer did not lose hope and began watching YouTube videos to learn how to drive with his condition with his feet on a non-modified car and practiced in local parking lots.
As Mr Spencer turned 16 years old, his parents decided to help him get his driver’s license and taught him how to drive in a parking lot
To drive in a non-modified car, Mr Spencer said: ‘I do right leg down on the peddles and then my left foot is for everything else – steering, shifting gears, volume, temperature control.’
When the time came for his driver’s test, he and his parents explained his condition to the examiner.
Mr Spencer said: ‘I looked it up on YouTube. I just watched other people do it.
‘How I got my driver’s license was we talked to the driving instructor. We said, “Hey, here’s the situation.”
‘He was really understanding. He’s like, “Well, if it goes great, then it goes great. But if something comes up, then we’ll talk about it. We’ll try to go through what can be done.”
‘I took a drivers [education] class and exam through my school. My teachers said I was by far the best driver than most of my classmates that used their arms. I passed the first time on everything!’
Now that he has his license, he told DailyMail.com, he has to have a physical evaluation that proves he is fit to drive performed by a doctor every year and retake his driving test every five years.
