Talented 9-Year Old Girl Born Without Hands Wins Handwriting Contest… For the 2nd Time!

Anaya Ellick holding her award

Chesapeake, VA — Anaya Ellick, a 9-year-old girl who was born without hands, proves that nothing is impossible even with such condition as she recently received a national award for her cursive handwriting.

“I’ll be able to do it if I try,” Anaya said.

The third-grader from Greenbrier Christian Academy is known to be pretty quiet and shy. But her teachers say she serves as an inspiration to others. “Anaya is a role model to everyone,” her teacher Sara Cannaday said.

Having been born without hands, she chose not to use a prosthesis that’s why she learned to hold a pencil between her two arms to write and draw.

“It wasn’t really hard,” she told News 3. But she said her mother helped her. “She would help me form the letter,” Anaya said.

She joined the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest under the special needs category. She won the award for cursive handwriting.

“I’m proud because it encourages her, for her to see that hard work does pay off,” said Bianca Middleton, Anaya’s mother.

In 2016, she also won a national award for her print writing.

“I was happy. I thought my mom was joking when she said I won again,” Anaya said.

Anaya’s parents are proud because she doesn’t let her situation from doing anything.

“She’s really independent, from tying shoes, putting clothes, getting baths,” said Gary Ellick, Anaya’s father. “It was always like ‘I can do it’. So, that just carried on over the years.”

Anaya’s next goal: sports.

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Anaya Ellick and her penmanship award

Anaya Ellick's penmanship is so good, she recently won a national handwriting contest. That's impressive for any 7-year-old, but even more so because Anaya has no hands, and she does not use prosthetics for help.