21/07/2026
Amazing story from Caoimhe!
Caoimhe O’Connor was born with a congenital deformity, which meant that her femur (thigh bone) was significantly shorter on her right side.
The now 32-year-old occupational therapist, from Ballymun in Dublin, also had a short tibula (calf) and a short tibia (shin), and only three toes on her right foot.
“The doctors couldn’t give my parents a clear reason why I’d been born that way, and they couldn’t provide a clear trajectory as to where my life would go,” she says.
“There was talk of my being potentially severely disabled.”
She was referred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh, in north Dublin, where, after tests, it was suggested her leg be amputated at the ankle, leaving a residual limb.
This was not a medical necessity, but simply so she could lead a more typical existence. “It was thought it would make me more functional and independent,” she explains.
Growing up, she received support from her friends and family, but often ran into difficulty.
She found it difficult to be accepted into a gym in the first place. “When a coach isn’t confident about teaching someone with a disability it makes them nervous, and so I was turned down by a number of gyms.”
When she eventually found a coach who would teach her, she found she excelled at Taekwondo, achieving a black belt at the age 16.
“It improved my confidence no end because I was progressing as quickly, if not more so, than my peers,” she says. “On the floor, doing Taekwondo, I felt normal.”
Read more about Caoimhe's story at the link in the comments below.
📸: Frank McGrath
