A five-year-old amputee whose parents feared she would not survive as a baby has stunned docs by taking up martial arts.
When Carys Vaughan was born she battled a string of health problems and a rare deformity which left her without a foot.
But the youngster, from the Black Isle, has now been given an award for her inspiring approach to life - which includes hobbies like Kenpo, street dancing and scooting around her local skate park at top speed.
Double hand transplant mum Corinne Hutton, who founded the amputee charity that honoured Carys, said the youngster had helped her deal with her own disability, describing the schoolgirl as a “shining example to all of us”.
Carys, from Fortrose, spent a lot of the first years of her life in hospital after being born 10 weeks premature.
She had holes in her heart and suffered amniotic band syndrome in the womb, which can cause strands of the amniotic sac to separate and entangle limbs.
Her right leg had a perfectly formed foot but it was hanging on by a thread and had to be removed soon after birth.
Carys has endured heart surgery and repeated operations on her leg, but she has stunned proud parents Ruth and Gareth, 39, and big brother Ben, seven, with her abilities as she’s grown older.
Mum Ruth said: “We didn’t think she was going to make it for quite a long time so it’s amazing things have worked out the way they have.
“Most people can’t actually tell initially that she’s got a prosthetic. She does Kenpo, a martial art, and dancing every week. At the beach she’s clambering over rocks and she rides a scooter scarily fast, going up and down the ramps at the skate park.
“She’s very brave and is just happy getting involved.
“Her leader at Kenpo says there’s nothing she really can’t do. She occasionally gets a sore leg and then has to take it easy, but she just goes for it.
“She’s on an orange belt and very proud of it.
“She does mixed dancing - mostly street - and loves school. She loves being with her friends and is doing really well and not in any way disadvantaged.
“We didn’t think when she was born she’d be able to do any of this because she was so unwell for such a long time.”
Carys was overjoyed to be picked from dozens of incredible nominees to be crowned this year’s ChAMPs award winner by the Finding Your Feet charity, which has supported the family since she was born.
Ruth said: “We found out she was a finalist and had been nominated by one of Gareth’s cousins, which was a complete surprise to us.
“They chose Carys as the winner from 30 people and she won for being an inspiration.
“The charity are amazing and very supportive. They keep in touch to see how she’s getting on.”
Carys, who dreams of being a doctor and helping other kids like her, had major surgery on her leg last January and will need repeat operations as the bone continues to grow, which can leave her relying on a wheelchair.
But her parents say they hope she will continue to embrace her disability as she gets older.
Ruth said: “We anticipate when she gets older it could become more of an issue for her, but at the moment she doesn’t care.
“She likes seeing representation of limb difference on TV. Fireman Sam has got a new character that is an environmentalist with a prosthetic leg. It does help for her to see things like that.
“In the Highlands it’s quite difficult to meet other children with limb difference. It would be good to see more of a network in the future so she can get in touch with more kids. But Carys is very proud of the fact that she’s different. She’s taken her leg off for show and tell before and is more than happy to talk about it.
“We just want to keep that confidence going. We’re very proud.”
Corinne Hutton, who lost both of her hands and feet to sepsis, said Carys was a “standout” winner.
The mum, from Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, said: “Carys was a standout because she’s been through so much at such a young age and yet still has that boundless optimism that kids have.
“She keeps up with her peers and stays active dancing, swimming and scootering.
“After spending essentially the first 18 months of her life in hospital, it’s quite incredible to see such a positive presence from a young girl who’s been through more than many might in their entire life.
“She’s a shining example to all of us, and she’s changed the way I look at things and how I deal with adversity.”
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