Jlissa Austin, 30, from Houston, Texas, stands at just three feet four inches tall and says she thought she was destined to be alone, until she met the love of her life, Johnathon Shorter.
The entrepreneur, who runs her own weave company, has defied all the odds stacked against her even learning to type and brush her teeth with her toes:
A woman born with no arms, knees and just seven toes who was told she wouldn’t make her 18th birthday has revealed her joy at planning her wedding.
Jlissa Austin, 30, from Houston, Texas, stands at just three feet four inches tall and says she thought she was destined to be alone, until she met the love of her life, Johnathon Shorter.
The entrepreneur, who runs her own weave company, has defied all the odds stacked against her even learning to type and brush her teeth with her toes.
And the happy couple say they’re just like any other, with Jlissa’s disabilities not affecting their love life.
Jlissa and Johnathan, who is a five foot six inch-tall able-bodied man, share an apartment together in Houston and are currently planning their dream wedding for the summer.
Jlissa said: ‘Me and Johnathan are very good together. We’re so in tune.
‘I didn’t think it would ever happen to me – meeting someone like this. It feels so good to know that Johnathan is by my side.
‘When people see us walking around together, some of them shake Johnathan’s hand and say “I salute you, you’re doing a good job”. But we don’t experience issues with people judging our relationship too much thankfully.
‘We’re both really looking forward to our wedding, now.’
Johnathan mainly helps Jlissa with eating, getting in and out of cars and reaching things that are too high for her in their apartment.
Johnathan said: ‘Jlissa is a great person and a great friend. She is so lovable.
‘We are a complete team now. We met 13 years ago through mutual friends. We became friends at the start and then just grew to love each other.
She feels settled and comfortable with her daily routine, doing the majority of things herself and with a little help from Johnathan, there’s nothing she feels like she can’t achieve.
