Nicholas James Vujicic (born 4 December 1982) is an Australian-American Christian evangelist and motivational speaker of Serbian descent. Vujicic has tetra-amelia syndrome, a condition characterised by the absence of arms and legs.

Early life

Vujicic was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982 to Dušanka and Borislav Vujičić, Serbian immigrants from Yugoslavia. He was raised Serbian Orthodox in his earliest years, but the family later converted to Protestantism. Vujicic's father is a pastor. Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disability characterised by the absence of arms and legs. According to Vujicic's autobiography, his mother refused to see him or hold him immediately after his birth; instead, she and her husband left the hospital. He was bullied at school because of his medical condition. At one point, Vujicic attempted to commit suicide by drowning himself in a bathtub, but he was saved. While Vujicic's parents initially struggled with grief and confusion about his condition, they "raised him to look at the bright side of life". Originally, the toes of one of Vujicic's feet were fused. An operation was performed to separate the toes so that he can use them as fingers. Vujicic refers to this foot as his "chicken drumstick". When Vujicic was 17 years old, he started giving inspirational talks at school and church-sponsored events. Vujicic graduated from Griffith University at the age of 21 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a double major in accountancy and financial planning.

Ministry

Vujicic is a Christian and an evangelist. He travels and speaks about his testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. His ministry is known as Life Without Limbs. As of 2008, the ministry was based in southern California. Vujicic appeared on the ABC television show 20/20 in 2008. Vujicic starred in the short film The Butterfly Circus (2009). At the 2010 Method Fest Independent Film Festival, he was awarded Best Actor in a Short Film for his starring performance. Vujicic's first book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, was published by Random House in 2010 and has been translated into 30 languages. Vujicic is opposed to abortion. In 2021, he co-founded ProLife Bank. In 2022, Vujicic launched a new ministry initiative called "Champions for the Brokenhearted". The goal of the project is to "support particular disaffected groups in need".

Personal life

Vujicic married Kanae Miyahara on 12 February 2012. As of 2017, Vujicic and his wife have two sons and two daughters. The family resides in Southern California. Without any limbs, Vujicic is able to type 43 words per minute on a computer, by using his toes, slightly above the average for non-professional typists.

Books and publications