Claudio Vieira de Oliveira is ready to share his literal and figurative unique point of view on life.
De Oliveira, 37, was born with his neck folded back, causing his head to appear upside-down. He also has minimal use of his arms and hands.
But the Brazilian man beat the odds to become an accountant — and public speaker.
“Throughout my life I was able to adapt my body to the world,” De Oliveira told the Mirror. “Right now, I don’t see myself as being different. I am a normal person.”
His story will be shared on an episode of Discovery Networks International’s program “Body Bizarre.”
As a baby, his mother, Maria Jose, was told by doctors to stop feeding her child because he had virtually no chance of survival.
“People started saying, ‘the baby is going to die,’ because he could barely breathe when he was born,” she told the Mirror.
Doctors only recently diagnosed her child with congenital arthrogryposis, a rare disorder that causes joint contractions in his arms and legs. As a result, he can’t operate them properly.
But Maria Jose said she never wanted to “fix” her child — and that he grew up as independently as he could.
He was carried around until age 8, but then began walking on his knees. As a result, his family refinished the floors in their home so he wouldn’t get hurt. They also gave him a special bed, lights and outlets so that he could reach things.
“Claudio is just like any other person — that’s how he was raised in this house,” Maria Jose said.
Though he cannot use a wheelchair due to his shape, de Oliveira was desperate to go to school and be with other children. He holds a pen in his mouth to type.
“Since I was a child I’ve always liked to keep myself busy and work — I don’t like to depend totally on other people,” he said. “I have learned to turn on the TV, pick up my cellphone, turn on the radio, use the Internet, my computer — I do it all by myself.”
De Oliveira stuck with school, graduated as an accountant from Brazil’s State University of Feira de Santana, and now is a public speaker who receives invitations from all over the world. He used to be nervous interacting with the public, but no longer.
“I’m not afraid of it anymore,” he said.
