Katie Whiddon never imagined that her precious first-born child, Camden, would ever learn to walk.
When she was only 18 weeks pregnant, Whiddon was told by doctors during an ultrasound that her fetus was going to be born with a condition called amelia-phocomelia, which meant he wasn’t developing any limbs.
She was understandably heartbroken.
When June 19th came, Whiddon told People Magazine that she felt unsure of what kind of future was in store or if she would be “good enough” to raise her son.
“When I first found out he wouldn’t have arms or legs, I thought that he would just be a vegetable … I didn’t know what to expect. I had just turned 19 and I didn’t know, ‘Am I gonna be able to be good enough for him?’”
But as any mother would know, love conquers all.
When Camden arrived in the world, Whiddon vowed to do her absolute best, despite being afraid that her son would struggle to do even the most basic tasks for the rest of his life.
However, aside from having no arms or legs, Camden had an otherwise healthy development, and very early on, his mom knew her son would be just fine.
Then, in 2017, Camden did something that floored his parents — he learned how to walk.
The 4-year-old became the star of a viral video as he managed to slide himself across the floor, upright while exclaiming, “I’m coming to you! I’m walking!
“We started crying, we were so proud. I didn’t know when that day would come. I didn’t think he was ready for it yet and I was just so shocked and happy. It was so exciting and [his sister] Ryleigh was over there jumping, excited.”
In the video, Whiddon’s husband Cole Greene encourages his son as the boy’s 3-year-old sister cheers him on.
Little Ryleigh jumps up and down in excitement as her big brother makes it to Green.
During the emotional video, both Whiddon and Green can be heard saying the that Camden is “walking like Nick,” referring to motivational speaker and author Nick Vujicic who was born with a condition much like Camden’s.
When Widdon posted the video, it almost instantly went viral, inspiring people from around the world. Her Facebook post now has well over 500,000 views.
The young mom of four is confident that her strong and determined son is destined to do big things in life, including continuing to motivate others.
“Call it mother’s intuition, but I feel like he’s gonna be one of those motivational speakers and now, giving him the exposure will give him a platform so when he’s ready to speak for himself he will have people who actually want to listen to him and care about what he has to say.”
Many folks remarked on how the sweet and inspiring video brought them to tears because of the combination of the boy’s accomplishment and the family’s jubilation.
You can see the video below, and please be sure to share this amazing child’s story with your friends and family.