A woman with tiny legs isn't letting her birth defect stop her from achieving her dream of being a ballroom dancer. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
Even though she only has half a body, she's tearing up the dance floor!
Joanne Fluke was born with a rare medical condition leaving her shorter than a 10-month-old child. She looks like she has half a body, but actually she does have legs, they're just really small.
Her amazing life is being documented as part of a TLC special, The Dancer with Tiny Legs.
From the waist up, Joanne looks like any other woman, but she was born with a condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome.
"It's a birth defect. My spine stopped at the waist, and my legs are webbed at the knee," said Fluke.
Fluke lives with her parents, but she leads a totally independent lifestyle.
"Getting up in the morning, it's just like anyone else when I get ready. The only difference is, I do everything on the ground," Fluke explained.
She brushes her teeth in the bath tub instead of the sink. At home, Fluke rarely uses a wheelchair; she prefers to walk on her hands.
Incredibly, having tiny legs hasn't stopped Fluke from pursuing her dream of becoming a dancer. When she was in school, she took part in every dance activity she could, even cheerleading!
And when she wasn't dancing in school, Fluke was copying the moves of her favorite boy bands, including ripping off a routine from New Kids On The Block!
These days, Fluke is passionate about a more elegant style of dancing. She competed in a prestigious dance contest, but first she had to find a dance partner. Men were lining up, competing for the chance to dance with her.
She was incorporating her wheelchair into every aspect of the dance, and she finally chose Brandon.
"I'm just really excited that she picked me," said Brandon.
When the big day arrived, she did a stirring Paso Doble, the Spanish bullfighting dance. Her performance was an incredible series of complicated moves and she danced her heart out. The judges were moved, and the crowd of 2,000 went wild, giving her a standing ovation!
