I am the author of the Goodacity blog, a journalist, and a translator. For 16 years, I have worked in professional journalism, contributing to regional and national publications, both in print and online media. I have written reports, conducted interviews, reviews, articles on cultural, social, and charitable topics, as well as materials in the style of "solution journalism" and communication materials.
My focus is on creating interesting and exclusive content. Journalism, to me, is primarily about human stories, to which I always find the key, empathize with the people I write about, and love all my heroes. Journalism, to me, means telling people about what truly matters to them, informing and inspiring them. It is not just a job, but a way of life, just like for all those who dream, create, and are inspired by it.
So, if you are looking for stories that inspire and motivate, that instill faith and help find meaning while believing in goodness, read my stories on the Goodacity website.
I am a manager of cultural affairs and a project manager with over 14 years of experience at United Thinkers. I have participated in the organization of numerous successful social and charitable projects and have implemented informational campaigns and communication cases.
As a marketing manager, I have been involved in organizing marketing and sociological research, working with media and partners, developing advertising and marketing strategies, as well as planning and implementing advertising campaigns.
I believe in the power of goodness and I am happy that as part of the Goodacity project, I can contribute to its expansion. I believe in the power of words and in the fact that communication can help make the world a better place. I know how, where and when to speak in order to be heard. And when you are heard, you can change the world!
Girl Was Born Without Arms But Learned to Do Everything… with Her Feet!
Taking care of two children, keeping the house in order, preparing meals, managing household chores, and working in the garden — these tasks might seem simple and routine. For Vera Feshchuk from the village of Zalisty in the Ternopil region of Ukraine, however, they are daily feats of strength. She cooks, cleans, does laundry, writes, embroiders, and even does makeup — all with her feet. Her life is truly a life without limits!
Moreover, she even set a Ukrainian record in the category “Fastest Makeup Application Using Feet”! With impressive skill and quality, Vera completed a casual makeup look in just 12 minutes and 48 seconds… using her feet! She dedicated this record to her son and daughter.
“As the record holder, she highlighted the incredible willpower of people with disabilities,” states the official website of the National Register of Records of Ukraine.
“In my childhood, just like all my peers, I wrote letters to St. Nicholas,” Vera recalls. “But while they asked for candy, I asked for pens… I thought maybe God just forgot to give them to me…”
Instead, God blessed her with another gift — kindness and a sincere heart.
“Giving up is the easiest thing to do,” she says. “And the more you start to pity yourself, the harder it is to overcome difficulties… I always tried to believe with all my heart and soul that everything would be alright,” Vera adds. “And I will be happy, no matter what!”
Vera's Faith
Today, Vera is raising her two children on her own — 13-year-old Evelina and 10-year-old Arsen. Her marriage didn’t work out, so Vera is both mom and dad to her kids. Vera is the youngest of five children in her family. Her father tragically passed away five years ago, and her brother Volodya is currently serving in the military.
“Right now, my brother is in the hospital. He and his comrades were caught in a heavy shelling; there were casualties among them. Volodya was saved because he was thrown out of the vehicle… It’s good that he survived. We worry and pray for him every day, and we help our defenders in any way we can!”
Vera lives at home with her children and her 76-year-old mother.
“In the maternity ward, the doctors didn’t even show me Vera at first, fearing my reaction,” Vera’s mother, Antonina Stepanivna, recalls with tears in her eyes.
“When I unwrapped the blankets, I nearly fainted: the baby… didn’t have hands, and one leg was half the length of the other. I still don’t know why this misfortune befell us. Vera is our fifth and youngest child; everything is fine with the others, but for her — apparently, it was written in her fate…”
Doctors suggested that the woman should give up the baby, claiming that Vera would never be able to walk or do anything, and that she would only suffer with her for life. However, her parents never considered abandoning their daughter: “God gave her to us, so we will raise her.”
Vera's Hope
Ms. Antonina is a strong woman. It turns out that being strong is quite simple when you have the hopeful eyes of a child looking up at you, asking, “What’s next?” And what’s next… Little Vera was raised with hope and love — in every sense of the word. Her parents, collective farmers who worked from dawn till dusk, were supported by their older daughters Nadija, Lyubov, and Halyna, as well as their son Volodya. Vera herself, who wanted a life without limits, demonstrated a determined and warrior-like spirit from a young age: by the age of three, she was already bouncing and crawling around the house on her own, and by five, despite doctors’ predictions, she took her first steps.
Vera didn’t attend school; she completed the eleven-year curriculum at home with the help of teachers.
“I studied well; my school certificate has almost all ‘excellent’ marks,” Vera shares. “The teachers even told me that I write better and more neatly with my foot than some do with their hand…”
Vera learned the art of professional makeup in Kyiv, Ukraine, and holds a unique diploma as the only makeup artist in Ukraine who applies makeup using her feet! In her hometown of Zalisty, nearly half the village’s girls come to Vera to have their eyebrows shaped and their festive makeup done. She does an excellent job!
Vera's Love
For thirteen years now, Vera has embraced yet another challenging but dearly wanted role as a mother. Her eldest daughter, Evelina, will turn 13 this year, and her younger son, Arsen, is currently 10.
Cheerful and energetic, the life of any gathering, Vera has always drawn attention. She had no shortage of admirers, but her heart chose a local boy. When their feelings stood the test of time, Petro sent his matchmakers. In the fall of 2011, the couple got married. Many journalists from various city newspapers and TV channels wanted to cover the wedding, but Vera tactfully declined.
“I didn’t want our special personal event to turn into a show,” she explains.
The church where Vera and Petro were married saw half the village in attendance. Many were moved to tears when the groom placed the wedding ring on a chain around the bride’s neck…
The couple had Evelina, and a few years later, Arsen. However, their marriage did not work out, and now Vera is raising the children on her own.
“They are my greatest joy and my wings. I’ve changed diapers, dressed, and fed them with a spoon using my feet. I’ve swaddled them and breastfed them myself,” Vera shares.
Today, Evelina and Arsen are like Vera’s hands. They are old enough to understand that their mother is special and to feel proud of her…
It seemed that Vera, destined from birth to a wheelchair, has over time learned not just to manage on her own but to handle household tasks better than many others. She accomplishes everything with the help of her feet. She holds a knife or spoon with her foot, cleans, washes, irons, and even paints her eyelashes with her feet…
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve never cut my feet while peeling potatoes or pricked my fingers with a needle while sewing — everything has always worked out on the first try,” Vera says. “Now I can even dial a number on my mobile phone with my foot while wearing a sock, or do other tasks. I used to walk barefoot most of the time, which gave me calluses and led to chronic kidney inflammation… But compared to what I can do, taking care of myself, my children, and even helping my mother is just minor stuff…”
A Life Without Limits: A Master of All Trades, Despite Not Having Hands
“She taught herself everything — how to manage the house and work in the garden,”says Antonina Stepanivna.
“No one else taught her — there was simply no one available. My husband and I worked on the farm all our lives: I was a milkmaid, and he managed the manure. And the work there was from dawn to dusk, and we only came home late in the evening. We’d come in the house, and there was Vera, already cleaned up, and cooking dinner on the stove — doing all this with her feet… Even as a child, she would help us in the garden, planting onions and garlic and weeding. She’d take a hoe, hold the handle with her shoulder and cheek, stand on one foot, and use the other foot to hold the hoe and work like that…”
“Vera also taught herself embroidery: I’d sit in the evening to work on embroidery, and she’d come over, watch me closely. One day, I saw her grab a needle — using her foot — and start embroidering herself… She became so engrossed in embroidery that, over the years, she must have embroidered nearly a hundred towels — for her sisters’ weddings, as well as napkins and pillows to decorate the house…”
Vera mastered various techniques: she embroiders with cross-stitch, satin stitch, and even beads — which is such delicate work! Her foot-embroidered pieces have won numerous awards in national competitions.
“Nowadays, I don’t have time for embroidery,” Vera sighs. “With the children, household chores, and daily worries… We don’t have gas, so we burn wood — it’s very expensive and troublesome. My solace now is flowers. I adore them, water them myself, wipe the dust off the leaves, and take care of them,” Vera says. “I have over fifteen orchids!”
Vera’s optimism and zest for life are truly enviable.
“It doesn’t matter how God created you. What matters is believing and enjoying each day,” says Vera. “I love life just as it is.”
