They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade(柠檬汽水). That’s what 20-year-old George Dennehy has done. Although he is armless, the musician plays not one, but several instruments, all with his feet. Born without arms in Romania, George was sent to a Romanian orphanage(孤儿院). Luckily, Michael and Sharon Dennehy from the US were looking for a child to adopt. In the end, they adopted George!
Michael and Sharon Dennehy never allowed George to use his disability as an excuse. So just as they had done for their three other kids, they let George take cello(大提琴) lessons when he was eight. The instrument, which is difficult even for people without disabilities, was even more challenging for George. He had to learn to play it with his feet.
But thanks to his music teacher who learned to play the instrument with her feet, George could learn the cello well. He not only learned the cello, but also realized that he had a talent for music. During his middle school years when playing the cello was not considered cool, he also learned the piano and guitar.
As he grew older, George began putting his “performances” on the Internet. In 2012, his performance of “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, an American rock band, caught the eye of people. Within days, the video made him popular. George’s performance even caught the eye of the rock band. They invited him to perform with them at Pennsylvania’s ten-day long music festival in 2012. George not only performed “Iris”, but also “Perfect” by Pink and “Broken Angel” by Boyce Avenue.
George is also a speaker. He encourages people to seek their dreams, no matter how impossible they may sound.