Anna’s Story: Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month

Anna is a Grandview Kids graduate diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a heart defect and was born without her right index finger due to banding syndrome in utero. Through careful blending of her life experiences, skills, education and beliefs, she has become a beacon of inspiration for all those who get to know her. Anna’s passion for the performing arts was instilled from a young age through formal dance, vocal and piano lessons. This led her to pursue secondary education in acting and media studies. She has built an impressive social media presence through content creation for cosplay, drama and advocating for individuals with disabilities. In 2023, she created a panel discussing the challenges of being autistic and a cosplayer and aims to present this informative seminar in as many conventions as possible.

Grandview Kids has been part of her whole family’s life since Anna was diagnosed with ASD at the age of seven. “Without my mom and Grandview Kids’ early intervention, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Anna gratefully shares. She received speech-language pathology (SLP), occupational therapy (OT) and medical services to help support her limb difference. Her missing finger significantly impacts fine motor skills like grasp control which leads to difficulty performing daily activities such as using utensils, pencils and getting dressed. Grandview Kids connected Anna’s family with vendors to help provide her with specialized equipment, like a special computer with a circular mouse ball, to ease the burden of functionality. Anna is currently waiting to receive a prosthetic finger to make her everyday tasks easier.

Beyond the physical challenges, Anna professes that the hardest part of her disability is the social aspect. She faces discrimination due to people’s ignorance and/or curiosity. People stare and can be afraid and mean-spirited towards her, not wanting to interact because of her missing finger. Anna has even had difficulty with teachers treating her poorly by not considering her missing finger when grading her work in subjects like art and writing. Although Anna’s mom, April, lightheartedly admits that “she’s the best 9-fingered artist she’s ever met!” Bullying by other students and peers persists due to the lack of conversation about limb loss. She hopes a prosthetic finger will become a new avenue for greater engagement, shifting the dialogue from “ew” to “cool.” These social barriers have not left Anna feeling defeated. Rather, these interactions solidify her convictions to be a louder, stronger voice for others.

Anna’s tenacity is being recognized within her community. She was the 2025 Grandview Graduate “Spirit of Grandview Kids” award winner. Her nominator aptly describes Anna’s endeavours as “unwavering commitment,” as she “transform(s) her challenges into a catalyst for advocacy, striving to create a world where everyone has equal opportunities.”

Anna attests that raising disability awareness is important to her because she recognizes that anyone can become disabled at any point in life. “Anyone can lose their abilities and capabilities due to aging. Sometimes, home or workplace accidents occur and cause a disability or limb loss. People need to know that it’s not scary. So you shouldn’t be scared of people with limb differences,” she says. Anna encourages others to be empathetic. She notes that people should feel open to asking questions but quickly move on rather than make assumptions and focus solely on one aspect of a person’s identity.