Woman Born Without Arms Or Legs Is Now An Online Influencer & Makeup Artist

Apr 07, 2023 by apost team

People who are born with disabilities do not have the easiest life. Most people with a disability show that it is not something that can hold you back in any way. As long as the determination is paired with a lot of love and support, there is nothing that can hold a person back from living their best life. 

Gabe Adams-Wheatley did not have an easy start to life, unfortunately. Gabe, who was born in Brazil back in 2000, was abandoned by her mother quite soon after she was born. Gabe’s mother didn't believe she could care for the child, who was born without arms or legs, so she abandoned her in the hospital where she was born. 

Gabe was placed in an orphanage, but her chances of being adopted were slim. Gabe was born with Hanhart syndrome, which is a congenital defect that prevents limbs from forming correctly. However, Gabe’s life would soon be changing for the better. 

Her adoptive mother, Janelle Adams, was shopping at her local supermarket in Kaysville, Utah, when she saw a photo of Gabe. Janelle and her husband Ron already had 13 biological children, but she knew she needed to do something to help this child, so the couple flew out to Brazil and brought Gabe back to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City, Utah, shortly after she was born.

Thanks to this beautifully supportive and loving family, Gabe has become an inspiration for many people because she became an incredible dancer and found true joy in dancing in February 2016. Gabe, who lives in Salt Lake City, has now ventured into makeup and has gone on to find her true love!

"We had our concerns, but I couldn't stop thinking about the sweet little boy so far away without arms, legs or a family," Janelle recalled to TODAY. However, Gabe had never let her disability hold her back. Not only did she learn how to get around without her wheelchair, but she also learned how to dance! 

According to the publication, Gabe joined the Davis High School dance team during her sophomore year of high school. After other students saw Gabe perform, they wanted to hear more about her story.

"I wouldn't have been able to do anything without my parents," Gabe said, and added, "They gave me a chance to find out what I love."

While she has learned to do everything on her own, including climbing stairs and using a wheelchair, Gabe is most thankful for her ability to dance. When her family moved to a new school district, Gabe started taking private lessons. Dancing has given Gabe the ability to express herself through movement, and though it was something Gabe never thought she'd be able to do, she has become an inspiration for herself by achieving so much despite external limitations. 

"My teammates treated me like a normal person and didn't look at my disability, just my ability to dance and be part of a team," Gabe said. 

Gabe told TODAY that she enjoyed hip-hop and contemporary dance. She is also a motivational speaker and an avid swimmer. She even released her own inspirational documentary back in November of 2019 called “Limb-itless: Adventure Songwriting.”

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Even though she overcame a lot of obstacles in her life, Gabe told Queerty.com that she was bullied throughout her life. "I would come home in tears because people would make fun of me for the fact I have no arms or legs," she recalled. "One day my mum was like, 'I need you to look in the mirror and name ten things you like about yourself. Then I want you to go to school and pick ten people and say one nice thing about them.'" She added, "Just doing that generated this positivity in my life that made me strive to do better and be happy for myself so I could give my best to everybody else."

Gabe became a loving and well-rounded person thanks to her family's unconditional support. However, when she came out as a gay man prior to coming out as trans, her family did not accept her at first due to her family's religion. After a few years of resistance, though, her family came around and gave her their unconditional support. "Now I am engaged to a man and they’ve been nothing but supportive and loving to both of us," Gabe said.

Gabe gushed over her fiancé, Adam Wheatley, who she met in January 2020 on Tinder. After immediately hitting it off online, Gabe decided to take a chance to meet in person. She recalled that Wheatley told her, "'I want to take you on a real date. Let’s go get coffee, let’s go do this and this and this.' He came and picked me up at 3 in the afternoon and we hung out until 2 in the morning! He was the nicest person I’d ever met. We literally hung out pretty much every day after that."

According to Gabe’s Instagram, she and Wheatley tied the knot on Feb. 14, 2021. Gabe wore a beautiful white gown. It looked like the dress had sleeves reminiscent of a veil, and Gabe chose to style it almost like a beautifully draped cape falling along the sides and behind the dress.

Gabe celebrated the couple’s anniversary in 2023 with the post: “My funny Valentine!🧚🏽‍♂️💕”

Gabe is also now an influencer on TikTok and Instagram as she shares inspiring makeup tutorials. During an interview with PopSugar, she explained that her dance coach is the one who first introduced her to makeup, saying that she should try foundation, blush, contour and highlighter to make her features pop more. Gabe happily went out and bought the necessary products, and started watching tutorials.

“I started watching a lot of makeup YouTubers on their techniques and taking into consideration what works best for me, because I have to use the makeup brushes and the beauty sponges in a very different and unique way,” Gabe explained.

It took a bit of time and practice, but Gabe finally figured out how to apply her makeup – and now she teaches others how to apply their own!

In March 2023, Gabe inspired more people when she came out as a transgender woman. The makeup artist uploaded a post to Instagram with the caption:

“It’s revolutionary for any TRANS person to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.🏳️‍⚧️”

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Gabe.

Do you think Gabe is an inspiration? Let us know what you think, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family so they can be inspired, too!