No Legs, No Limits | Kanya Sesser

When I'm on a skateboard, I don't feel trapped. I feel free. And I live my life through my skateboard. It feels like it's a part of me. It's part of my soul. My story is so incredible and I feel like it's a very special part of me that characterized me of who I am today. I was found on the side of the road in Pakchong, Thailand, which is two hours north of Bangkok. Down the street from a woman's house, they heard a baby cry and they're wondering, where is this crying coming from? They got a flashlight and they came up to hear where the sound was coming from. And I was found like literally on the side of the road with all these trees and all these tall grasses. And you probably could never find me if I didn't cry. There was like dirt on my face. I had mosquito bites. So they kind of guessed I was there for probably a day. We don't know who my birth parents is. There's no note. There's no nothing. While they called the Pakchong police department, they was about to give me a bath. And like, she was feeling me. She's like, something feels different. I was kind of small for my age too. So it was kind of like, what is going on? And they unwrapped me and they found out that I had no legs and they looked and there's no indication, like no indication of amputation, which is good. That means I wasn't kidnapped from my family, from gangsters out there and put them into who knows, you know, and that happens a lot in those countries. But I was just born this way. I live with two older couple and they pretty much took care of me till I was adopted of May 1998 through Jane and David Sessor, who are my parents, loving parents now that adopted me, came here to America when I was just five years old and raised and living in Portland, Oregon. And who would have thought like, just because that you come from a family that doesn't want you doesn't mean there's another family that would love to show you what family love is. And even though they're not blood, they show you love. My mom told me that ever since I was younger, she's like, you know, you're so hyper. We had to like, get you back inside. You sneak out through the window as a kid. And I was like, peace out. But my dad was like, we just kind of let you and they will like find you later. But we would hear your wheelchair or skateboard going through the patio. I never come home much. I was always outside. I just want to do everything outside. And my mom's like, OK, we need to put her in sports. She kind of like connected me to Shredders Hospital and Oregon Adaptive Sports, events and people that they know, track racing, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis. And to be honest, I was really good at it. I got first place in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, four by four women's relay and second place, 3K. And I was the third fastest woman in the world in 2012 and 2011. I almost made it to London, but I didn't, unfortunately, because I got one second off of the 100 meters. In life, we grasp and learn new things and we discover new things. I feel like it's the genetics in me, how I'm stubborn, how I could do things on my own, how I do not like help. And I was very serious about that. And I feel like it just has to deal with who I am as a person. I know what's right for myself. And I feel like if I feel comfortable, I do things for myself. And I think I kind of do it naturally. When I was younger, I just kind of walk on my hands, walk upstairs on myself. I climb on shelves to get to the ice and I climb with my hands like a monkey. And like, I adapt that through my own self because I think it has to deal with this is all I know. This is what I have. And I have to go through it on my own ways. Going through obstacles and going through things on my own, personally, kind of gain my strong mentality to have a big perspective on life. And I just like, hey, no legs, no limits. And that's my motto is no legs, no limits, because I saw that, that there's no limitations to anything of what I do. Whether you have legs or you don't have legs. I mean, I feel like we all have some type of disability in some ways, whether it's mental or physical, but we all have challenges. Pretty much what it does is that's the engine when you go down and then you push down for brakes. So this is all a 90 degree angle, push, pull, hand control. And I just drive like this. I got invited to the X Games back in 2019 and it was just so incredible because my coach at the time for skateboarding gathered up all the adaptive skate, female and male, adaptive skaters, blind, amputees, all that. And we kind of showed up at the X Games and showed them that, yo, we can skate and kind of did a whole skateboarding demo plus competition. And it was just so incredible to just be there and experience everything and got to skate the street course and got to skate the bowl course, which is really gnarly. When I'm on a skateboard, I don't feel trapped. I feel free. And I live my life through my skateboard. Because skateboarding and the skateboard is just part of me. It's like part of my legs. And I think that's so incredible that I can just have something to just move around, but also feel so good when I just skate. The wind is coming through my hair. I'm vibing it. It just feels like it's a part of me. It's part of my soul. Everywhere I go or skating in skate park, I see a lot of kids and they're curious. I had a kid come up to me today, how do you skate without legs? And I tell them I skate with my hands and just kind of educate them on how someone without legs can skate with their hands and do tricks. And they get very impressed by that. How I achieved the handstands, actually, I was just been skating ever since I was nine years old. One day, just like, hey, let me see if I can just like balance myself on a skateboard, but lift my body up. And I'm half a body anyway, and just like lift myself up and I'm light. So I can just do it and just go with it and flow with the board. I was like practicing all month. I already know I got it because when you've done it most of your life anyways, and you have done it in many different videos, and that's like your signature trick or move, it just naturally comes to me. I love how much followers I have and I really respect all my fans and people that follow me and I appreciate it. But I'm not all, I'm not really about like that fame life and all that, but I love it, you know? But I'm not like, oh wow, look at me, you know? But I feel like everywhere that I go, people come up to me and just be like, besides just skateboarding, they're like, wow, aren't you like that chick that was in Fear of the Walking Dead or The Walking Dead or this and that? I'm like, yeah, that's me. And I don't think it's just about not having legs. I think it also has to deal with who I am as a person and what you bring out to people and how you vibe and your reputation and your personality. You know, you show who you are and you show your aura. And I think that gravitates towards people with anybody that has a high energy like myself. I'm like an energizer bunny. As much as I don't really care for the fame or how many followers, I feel like networking and social media really helped me along the way of who I am today. I'm so beyond stoked that I just achieved one of the biggest records ever, which is the Guinness World Records title, which is the longest handstands on a board without legs as a female woman. It just feels so beyond blessed and amazing.