Bizarre: Meet the Brazilian man born with his head upside-down

From:	<Linda Ikeji>

A man born with physical disabilities so severe his head is Upside-down has defied the odds to become an inspirational public speaker.

Claudio Vieira de Oliveira, 37, was born with his neck folded back on itself, as well as badly deformed legs and almost no use of his arms and hands. Doctors told his mother to stop feeding him as a newborn as they believed he had no chance of survival. But Claudio from Monte Santo, Brazil, has overcome his extreme disadvantages to graduate as an accountant and become a public speaker. Continue...

"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. I do a bit of accounting, research for clients and consulting. I have learned to turn on the TV, pick up my cell phone, turn on the radio, use the internet, my computer - I do it all by myself." he said.

Claudio types with a pen held in his mouth, operates phones and a computer mouse with his lips and has specially made shoes that allow him to move around town. His determined independence saw him succeeding at school and qualifying as an accountant from the State University of Feira de Santana.

When Claudio was born, doctors told his mother Maria Jose he would not be able to survive. Maria Jose said:

"People started saying 'the baby is going to die' because he could barely breathe when he was born. Some people would say: 'Don't feed him, he is already dying'. But there's only happiness now. Claudio is just like any other person - that's how he was raised in this house. We never tried to fix him and always wanted him to do the normal things everyone else does. That's why he is so confident. He is not ashamed of walking around in the street - he sings and he dances."

At eight years old, Claudio, who had previously been carried everywhere, began to walk on his knees.

His family had to change the floor of the house so he could walk around without injuring himself.
Claudio's bed, plugs and lights had to be made lower so that he could do things for himself without asking for help.

He cannot use a wheelchair because of his unusual shape, making it hard for him to be independent outside the home - but he begged his mother to be allowed to go to school and learn with the other children. Doctors have recently diagnosed him with a rare condition called congenital arthrogryposis.

They believe he has multiple joint contractions in his legs and arms which mean they cannot extend properly. Claudio said:

"Throughout my life I was able to adapt my body to the world. Right now, I don't see myself as being different. I am a normal person. I don't see things upside-down. This is one of the things I always talk about in my interventions as a public speaker.

"Nowadays it's much easier to deal with the public, I'm not afraid of it anymore and I can say that I am a professional, international public speaker and that I receive invitations from all over the world."

Culled from UK Mirror

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ VERDANT STORIES SECTION...FORBIDDEN >>>>> Garba was the only one of his father's twelve sons who agreed to get an education in his town. His mum was the last of 4 wives and so encouraged him to go and learn the white man's way. "I have heard that when you go to that school in the town, you will never have to work in the farm or roam about with cattle. You will grow wise and work in the white man's place," his mother had said. His father had been skeptic and suspicious of the Whiteman. The Whiteman had come to Dogongari, Garba's village and had taken residence there. And because Garba's father, Dandogo was the village head. the Whiteman became his friend. Once, the Whiteman had given him some coloured water from a bottle to drink. He had observed the Whiteman drinking it and when the Whiteman had offered him, he drank. It tasted sharp yet inviting. He was soon enjoying it and before long, he had begun to talk too much and laughing. His chiefs had been alarmed. Dandogo was even telling the Whiteman how he intended to• many a fifth wife. His chiefs were surprised. No man spoke about such things in public. They suspected that the Whiteman had put something in the drink. What kind of a golden-coloured drink was it anyway? When Dandogo got up, he staggered and almost fell had his chiefs not held him. Then he began to talk all sorts ofrubbish, his eyes rolled up. They took him home. They put him in bed and his wives waited upon him. He slept for long and only woke up at noon. Later when his subjects told him what had happened, he refused to accept. He could not recall ever saying anything or how he got home. But of course he remembered he had been drinking with the Whiteman. Then he reasoned that the Whiteman must have given him something bad to drink that he had lost his senses. When the Whiteman was asked what it was he gave the head-chief, he said it was just rum. Ever since, Dandogo had been wary of him and his agents. Now, the same man had told him of his school in town and said Dandogo should bring some of his children to the school. At first he had refused, suspecting that the Whiteman wanted to kidnap them. "If he runs away with our children, where do we know he came from that we will go and look for him?" Dandogo said to his chiefs. But the Whiteman was persistent, telling him of the benefits. Still Dandogo would not accept. Instead, he nominated other people's children and hid his own. The children that went to town to the Whiteman's school came to the village three times a year and they had begun to understand the Whiteman's language and were able to write like the Whiteman on chalk slates. They were different from the other children. "Well, he has not kidnapped the children but only made them be like him," Dandogo said one day when the Whiteman came to urge him to bring his children to the school. Now, based on what he had told his children about the Whiteman's trick to kidnap them, none of his children wanted to go to the school. But Garba who was only seven years had his mother to encourage him. And that was how Garba got the chance to go to school. "Now listen, Garba," his father said. "When you go to the Whiteman's school, be careful, don't drink any coloured water because it will make you forget yourself, don't do the Whiteman's religion and don't let him deceive you." "Yes, father," Garba said. His mother put a hand on his head. "Always be a good boy. Never ever fight, learn the Whiteman's way very well. It is an easy way to be rich without hard work," she said. The news had gone round Dogongari that one of Dandogo, the village head's sons was going to the Whiteman's school. "Your son could be a doctor, a lawyer, a government official, an engineer or anything he's good at as he grows," the Whiteman said to Dandogo on the day the school children were to depart the village. Dandogo did not know what the Whiteman meant. "Just don't deceive my son and don't make him do your religion,- Dandogo said through the interpreter as usual. Garba was dressed in a white shirt and brown Khaki shorts that the Whiteman had given to him that early morning. He looked smart in it. His mother was crying that he was leaving. The Whiteman took the children in a rickety mammy wagon and drove down the rough road out of Dogongari. The other children ran after the wagon until it was gone.