Carson Pickett: a world-class football player with limb difference

While others might label it a disability, for Carson Pickett it's a day-to-day reality. She has lived with her disability since she was born, but she didn't let it define her as an athlete nor as a human. This is the incredible story of Carson Pickett, the football player without an arm.

Carson Pickett was born in September 1993 without a left hand or forearm. Her parents did not do ultrasounds so as not to know the sex of the baby, and they did not see the condition that their daughter had, according to The Seattle Times.

Despite her condition, Pickett admits she never wanted to use a prosthetic arm. "I only know one way of doing things. I have a prosthesis that is almost the same as my other arm. I hate it," she tells the aforementioned source.

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In fact, with the passage of time and her increase in popularity, Pickett has been the center point for disability awareness, shining a light on the issue. "It opened my eyes to realize that I could help people."

"I want people to know that, although it is considered a disability, it is not. I can do anything that another person can do," she said at a press conference after making her debut with the United States team.

At first, she was upset by the media's obsession with her condition, but later realized it was a platform for her to advocate for disability awareness.

Pickett signed an important deal to partner up with Nike to create boots accessible to everyone. In other words, boots that require little effort to put on. They are equipped with a wrap-around strap that replaces the conventional laces. Nike named them the Phantom GT Academy FlyEase shoes.

Photo: Nike

"My parents have two hands and two arms, so they couldn't teach me how to tie my shoes. There were times when I cried because tying my shoes seemed impossible," Pickett said during the shoe reveal.

"I thought about my younger self and what it would have meant to have something like this growing up. I feel like this boot represents me and anyone else who is unique," she added excitedly.

She went viral in 2019 due to a video that showed Pickett cheering up Little Josep Tidd, an Orlando Pride fan, who was also missing an arm.

"Football means the world to me, but the platform it gives me for things like this takes the prize. Joseph, you are my new hero forever," Pickett wrote on her Instagram account.

Photo: Instagram - @carson.pickett

Pickett is a great example, both on and off the field. Not all superwomen wear capes, some even lack half an arm, but have plenty of courage.

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