Miracle Music

Miracle Music
By Wendy Griffith
CBN News

CBNNews.com - HANOVER, Virginia - Imagine being born with no arms and no hands. How would you function? What would life be like?

Meet 12-year-old George Dennehy.

George sits first chair in the cello section of his orchestra class at Oak Knoll Middle School in Hanover, Virginia.

George was born without arms and hands. He uses his toes like fingers.

With one foot, he presses the strings, and with the other, he skillfully holds the bow.

George was born with bi-lateral upper-limb deficiency and has learned to do nearly everything with his feet -- he eats with his feet; checks his e-mail; reads the Bible; rides his skateboard - and even does art work.

He recently made a clay mask, and draws beautifully holding the pen between his toes.

"George is a very independent student," says Coleen Shepherd, his art teacher. "He comes in and gets right to work. He's an inspiration in the class - he has no limits."

After school, George and his brother James - also born without arms, share a snack and then head out for a game of soccer in the back yard with their other siblings and friends.

George is one of four adopted and three biological children of Mike and Sharon Dennehy.

The Dennehy's adopted George from Romania when he was just a baby, and soon afterward, adopted James from India.

George's mom Sharon said, "A little newsletter came in and there was a little blurred black and white picture of George. And it said, little boy born without arms desperately needs loving family to take care of him.' I told Mike, and we were terrified. But we felt God would give us the strength to do it."

"In Romania, a physical handicap is considered a curse from God," said George's dad, Mike. "So not only over there was George different, but he was actually being rejected by the workers at the orphanage. And people were telling his family he shouldn't live there. The fact that we went there and retrieved him was a way for us to share the Gospel."

What's so amazing is how easy George makes everything look. From eating, to playing the cello, having no arms is no problem.

He said, "There's a few things I can't do, but there's a lot of things I can do."

George says he believes God made him this way for a special purpose.

"God has a plan for everyone - even people with disabilities - he can still use you for His will," he said.

George also has a favorite Bible verse: "Hebrews 11:6: 'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,'" he said.

His friend Nick DeLille, who's known George since they were about six, says he doesn't really think of George as being different.

"We high-five with our feet! I don't care that George doesn't have arms. I actually like having a friend who doesn't have arms," said Nick .

George says that he hopes his life will serve as an example to people - with arms or without arms - that all life is valuable.

He said, "There's not one life that God created that was made for no purpose. Why would God make a life and not do anything with it? So, every life is made for a purpose."

The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. © 2006