An inspiring story of life.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)

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Over a dozen years ago, doctors told the then-pregnant Stacey Santonastasso that her unborn child was afflicted with Hanhart syndrome type II, a rare condition that would result, they said, in her child being helpless for life. Defying the dire predictions of the medical experts, Santonastasso delivered a son, Nick, who while suffering from severe handicaps, has achieved much more than anyone expected.

"Nick didn't have any of the afflictions that the doctors thought he would other than the physical stuff," Santonastasso told ABC News. "[They said] he'd be on feeding and breathing tubes and have organ failure."

Nick was born without legs and had only one arm and one finger, but with the loving support of his parents and sheer persistence, his life is remarkably normal. He has learned to play the drums and the piano, ride a skateboard, swim, and to draw. He gets As and Bs in his sixth-grade classes.

"I'm capable of what everyone else is," Nick told ABCNEWS.com. When the reporter asked how he manages to skateboard with no legs, Nick replied matter-offactly: "I just jump on."

Santonastasso shared her secret for encouraging Nick: "The biggest fear I had was that we wouldn't know how to do the right things for him, but basically my husband and I just said 'we're going to love him like our other children.' "

The proud mother also gave full credit to her son, in noting: ...