Dawn Smith, from Rochelle, Illinois was born with a condition known as Holt-Oram Syndrome, a genetic syndrome which primarily affects the heart and hands. In Dawn’s case, the majority of her disability is in her arms and hands. She was born with arms that are about three inches long and only has three fingers on each hand. Since she was born this way, it was natural for Dawn to grow up using her feet in place of her hands. Dawn can do just about anything an able-bodied person can do by using her feet. She can drive her car, cook, clean, mow the lawn, but most importantly, Dawn is a single mother of four boys.

Since she was a little girl, Dawn always loved to draw and paint, holding the brushes with her feet. As she grew older, she found painting to be a form of escaping from her busy day to day routine. She painted all the walls in her house, as well as her boys bedrooms with bright, cheerful designs from floor to ceiling. She now works mostly with acrylics and loves to capture the beauties of her surroundings on canvas.

Pictured Above: “In The Making” by Smith