Kanya Sesser
American para-athlete and model
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Biography
Early life and education
Sesser was born in 1992 with a congenital absence of both legs. As an infant, she was abandoned outside a Buddhist temple in Pak Chong, Thailand.[1][2] She was found by a woman passing by on 13 September 1992, who picked up the baby Sesser, washed the debris off, and called the city police to take the baby to the hospital.[1] There, Sesser spent the next few years under the care of hospital staff, especially a nurse whom she called Mae (mother) Chan, as the police unsuccessfully searched for her birth family.[1]
In May 1998, Sesser was adopted by an American family and came to the Pacific Northwest,[1] where her adoptive parents raised her in Portland, Oregon.[4] She found it hard to integrate and could not speak English until the age of nine. She also taught herself to walk on her hands.[1] Sesser also had several surgeries on her hands due to having had webbed fingers on one hand and an extra finger on the other.[1] In her childhood, Sesser tried adaptive sports, such as wheelchair basketball, racing, tennis, and rugby.[1]
At the age of 15, Sesser began modeling for sports brands such as Billabong.[2] She also was never bullied at school, was a cheerleader until freshman year of high school, and almost was voted prom queen.[2]
Career
As an adult, Sesser lives in California.[2] She planned to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.[1] She also played Rosey Valera, a professional surfer, in Hawaii Five-0, as well as playing a stunt zombie in The Walking Dead.[2][4] She participates in sports such as skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, skiing, and basketball.[1][2]