LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville woman lives by the motto that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. She was born without the lower portion of her left arm and at 21, she became partially blind.
“I’m putting pressure so it don’t slide and sometimes it slides or sometimes I lose that little loop, especially on black, black shoestrings,” said Donna Hardin, who’s showing how she ties her shoelaces using her teeth. “And then I always double knot them because if you don’t have a place to sit down, it’s hard to tie your shoes.”
Fifty-five-year-old Hardin knows no other way.
“I was born without my left arm, so I really don’t know what I was missing, which makes it much easier to deal with,” Hardin said.
Deal with that, she did. She stayed involved in any activity she could.
“The other good thing is my parents did not try to limit anything that I did. So my other sisters played sports, so I played volleyball, softball, basketball. You know, I basically try to use my arm as a hand,” Hardin said.
Not letting anything deter her, even at 21, she learned once again how to persevere after another difficult diagnosis.
“When I was in college, I was diagnosed with what they call multifocal choroiditis, which basically is inflammation of many points in my macula,” Hardin said.
The disorder caused blurry vision, light sensitivity and eye discomfort, to name a few symptoms. But the bigger challenge was the time it took for her to adapt to the loss of vision.
“I do feel like I am slower because it takes me longer to read, but I have a good memory, so that’s helpful,” Hardin said.
Her memory is the tool she used while she went to college part time and ultimately earned her civil engineering degree.
She’s the youngest in her family, with six sisters, adapting to life in each way.
“I do have my elbow joint. So, I can bend my arm, and actually, I can carry a whole bunch of groceries because with it being short, the leverage is there, you know, is short. So it’s stronger,” Hardin said.
She’s remained strong even during the tough days.
“I do have to say, growing up, though, I always felt like men wouldn’t find me attractive because of my arm. Now you got me all teared up a little bit. But I am married,” Hardin said.
But it’s all about the perspective that’s held.
“Tying my shoes was one of the hardest things to learn. Growing up, I can remember my second-grade teacher helping me tie my shoes, but I eventually conquered it,” Hardin said.
Proof that with the right disposition, anyone can conquer the challenges they face.
If you know someone who is overcoming obstacles and defying expectations, tell Spectrum News about them and they could be featured in our Pursuit Unlimited series.