Kanya Sesser | |
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Born | September 1992 (age 31–32) |
Occupation(s) | Para-athlete model |
Kanya Sesser (born September 1992 [1] ) is an American para-athlete and model. [2] [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] She is known for having had a lifelong congenital absence of both legs. She was born in Thailand, was raised in Portland, Oregon, and currently lives in California.
Sesser was born in 1992 with a congenital absence of both legs. As an infant, she was abandoned outside a Buddhist temple in Pak Chong, Thailand. [1] [2] She was found by a woman passing by on 13 September 1992, who picked up the baby Sesser, washed the debris off, and called the city police to take the baby to the hospital. [1] There, Sesser spent the next few years under the care of hospital staff, especially a nurse whom she called Mae (mother) Chan, as the police unsuccessfully searched for her birth family. [1]
In May 1998, Sesser was adopted by an American family and came to the Pacific Northwest, [1] where her adoptive parents raised her in Portland, Oregon. [4] She found it hard to integrate and could not speak English until the age of nine. She also taught herself to walk on her hands. [1] Sesser also had several surgeries on her hands due to having had webbed fingers on one hand and an extra finger on the other. [1] In her childhood, Sesser tried adaptive sports, such as wheelchair basketball, racing, tennis, and rugby. [1]
At the age of 15, Sesser began modeling for sports brands such as Billabong. [2] She also was never bullied at school, was a cheerleader until freshman year of high school, and almost became voted prom queen. [2]
As an adult, Sesser lives in California. [2] She planned to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. [1] She also played Rosey Valera, a professional surfer, in Hawaii Five-0 , as well as playing a stunt zombie in The Walking Dead . [2] [4] She participates in sports such as skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, skiing, and basketball. [1] [2]
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