Meet the Brazilian Model Who’s Proving Disabilities Can Be Beautiful

March 28, 2016

Brazilian model Paola Antonini France Costa is earning admiration and respect not only for her stunning looks but also for her courage and determination to pursue her passion despite her disability.

The 21-year-old beauty from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, lost her left leg due to a terrible car accident caused by a drunk driver in December 2014, Daily Mail reported.

However, the unfortunate event did not deter Paola from continuing her career in modeling as she continues to impress audiences on the catwalk and her fans in social media with her poise and grace while wearing her prosthetic leg.

Her Instagram account, religiously followed by over 600,000 users, is home to her gorgeous photos featuring herself enjoying life despite her disability.

Paola proudly flaunts her amazing bikini photos online, with her prosthetic limb on full display.

“I want to be a model for other amputees,” she told Brazilian news site Veja BH.

Several attempts to save Paola’s left leg were made but it was crushed so badly that it had to be amputated below the knee.

“I’d never felt such intense pain in my life,” she recalled. “I chose not to look to see the size of the damage, but I knew it was serious.” Her parents described the incident as the worst day of their lives.

However, just as Paola was regaining the ability to walk again, she was told that her amputation had to be extended to above her knee.

While the news of the second amputation was devastating, the model had no choice but to proceed with the operation.

Unashamed of her disability, Paola never made any attempt to hide her prosthetic leg from anyone. The decision to flaunt it even earned her admiration and praise from fans worldwide for her bravery and passion.

Her online photos regularly get heartwarming support from the internet. “You are my warrior, if only everybody had your energy,” said one commenter.

Another feedback read: “It’s amazing to see how you thrive, although it makes me sad that your leg was amputated. To see how you have dealt with it is an inspiration.”

There are also messages of thanks like this one: “Paola… thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us! I’m going through a tough time for health reasons, and seeing your photos and videos, you inspire me to fight and always try to look on the bright side!”

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