Project Description

I was honored to meet this courageous young man after a motivational speech I gave.  Originally from Brazil, he suffered from a flesh eating disease that lost him all 4 of his limbs.  But that was not enough to discourage him from closing to live his life with grace and passion.  I was so impressed by his attitude and his willingness to try SpinGym.  The video and his character speak for themselves and should remind us daily how much we all have to live for, everyday!

Pedro’s Story:
Quad Amputee Lives Life that Defies the Odds

At 22, Pedro Pimenta has faced more challenges than most people will in a lifetime; Pedro certainly is an inspiration
“You will never walk again,” doctors and therapists told 19 year-old Pedro  after he lost both legs above the knee in 2009, sentencing him to a life in a wheelchair. He had also lost both arms above the elbow.

The determined young man with four prosthetic limbs not only walks, but he has completed the running portion of a triathlon, is a student at St. Petersburg College, is an inspirational speaker, and drives a car.
“I don’t have any adaptations in my car. I wanted to drive stepping on the gas and brake,” says Pedro. “At first the people in the DMV didn’t like the idea,” he laughs, “but they said, ‘Let him take the test.’ I passed and so my driver’s license has no restrictions.”

Pedro says once he realized this was going to be his life, he decided to live it to its fullest. “It affected people around me, but they kept living their lives. My brother was still dating his fiancé, my dad was still working, my brothers were work- ing, and my mom was doing her stuff. They tried to spend as much time as they could with me, but they were living their lives,” he recalls. “I said the world keeps on spinning, and if I stop, the world will stop spinning for me.”