During these struggling times, you may have wondered about the challenges that one would have to face in the future. One faces a number of challenging situations each day. These situations have the power to change our lives totally. What would you become if you lose your arms and legs the next moment? For some, it will leave a hopeless future, but for others, the same circumstance will lead to a brave mindset despite the physical loss.
Victoria Salcedo, a 24-year-old young woman of Guayaquil, Ecuador lives her life to the fullest while making life’s challenges into blessings. Victoria was only five, when a tragic accident took away both her arms and one leg. She was playing in her home when she accidentally touched a high-voltage wire with a metal rod. It left her with severe third-degree burns so that both her arms and one leg had to be amputated.
Her life changed completely after the accident and Victoria does not remember her life before the incident as she was so young. However, despite all this Victoria managed to take control of whatever challenges she had to face each day.
She refers to her only limb as her magic leg as it helps her to apply makeup, write, eat, get dressed, and scroll through her news feed. At present, she is pursuing a degree in Social Communications to become a news reporter.
Victoria is also a social media influencer with 109K followers and a model who aspires to become a philanthropist. She is a freediver who amazingly swims in her own way. Victoria has the spirit to chase opportunities and she is a killer of challenges, and nothing seems to have been taken away from her.
Own terms
Victoria lives a full-fledged, independent life without missing any of the activities that excite her. What makes her even more beautiful is how she perceives life on her terms. “I’m capable of doing any activity that I love to engage in as any other person. And nothing has made me think I’m more or less different from a normal human being. But some people express their mean attitudes through social media towards me and treat me as if I’m less human than others. I’m who I am, whether you are willing or not willing to accept,” says Victoria.
“A woman who is a warrior is an empowered woman. I make use of what I’ve lived through and what I’ve learned, and I share that part of myself with others. Because helping to make someone’s day better and brighter is the ultimate happiness I could enjoy at the end of the day. My message to those who seek growth and success is, “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”, says Victoria.