You need to hear about this amazing triumph story! Meet Barbie Thomas, she is a bodybuilder from Phoenix but she is not just any bodybuilder. She definitely stands out but her inner strength is what sets her apart. She was born Aug. 5, 1976 in NY but was raised in Texas. The oldest of two brothers was only 2 ½ years old when she suffered an accident losing both arms.
Little Barbie climbed upon a transformer near home and as she climbed up, she grabbed on the wires and the electricity bolted through her body and burned her arms all the way through the bone. Electricity entered through both of her hands, traveled through my her little body, and exited through both of legs. That is why she also has burns/scars on both legs.
Her story is quite remarkable, according to doctors she wasn’t supposed to live and if she did she would live as a vegetable for the rest of her life; she heard the word “no” from a young age but Barbie didn’t take that no for an answer.Thomas can do almost everything a person with two arms can do, including driving, cooking and writing emails.
She recognizes her parents are a big part of who she is today.
my mom was the one who made me such an independent woman, but my dad has always been there for me, too.
Barbie currently lives in Arizona and is the proud mother of two boys. She enjoys shopping, dancing, karaoke, swimming, playing with her kids, and working out of course.
Wonder why or what is her motivation to peruse fitness competitions? She sais during an interview,
“Someone told me once, you know you can never win”
And those words are what set her into the challenging career choice. Look at her routine below
The 37-year-old self proclaimed “magazine junkie” was always fascinated by the sport; she used to read about the competitors in magazines and she wanted to be part of it as well. She decided to give it a try because she knew she would regret it later. The bilateral amputee made sure she would be allowed to compete and the training began
She has participated in several competitions, including 2003 Arizona Open – Phoenix, AZ – 4th Place and most recently the 2012 NPC Jr. Nationals – Chicago, IL – 5th Place.
What an amazing inspiration huh!
You can find her on Facebook here and on her personal website “Fitness Unarmed” here.
