Hulya Marquardt

About Hulya Marquardt

Hülya Marquardt, 37, and her husband Dennis Marquardt, 36, from Stuttgart, Germany, welcomed their son in May this year.

Fashion Boutique owner Hülya was born with deformed hands and legs, undergoing 21 operations during the first six years of her life and spending the majority of her childhood in hospital.

At 18, Hülya developed sepsis and had her legs amputated.

‘The screws the doctors put in in order to fix my legs caused blood poisoning.’ Hülya explained.

‘It created sepsis and in order to save my life, they had to amputate both of my legs above the knees, leaving me with only short stumps.’

Hülya says her disability impacts her daily life in various ways and the deformities in her hands make it hard for her to grab things.

She said: ‘There are some things that I need help with and I use a wheelchair to get around but I often crawl, use a skateboard or a small trolley as it is often more convenient.’

Speaking about how life has changed since welcoming her baby boy, Hülya said: ‘It was scary at first but I can handle it pretty well now. You just get used to doing stuff differently.

‘Our house isn’t really especially equipped but my father-in-law kindly made me a basket on wheels with a mattress in it so I can transport my baby from one room to another while I am crawling.

‘I breastfeed full time, I change the diapers. I basically do everything a mother with limbs does, just in a different way.’

Hülya launched her Instagram account where she documents her daily life as a disabled woman and a new mum and has racked up 22.5k followers.

The mum credits husband Dennis for the confidence as he inspired her to go travelling with him and took plenty of pics of their trips.

Hülya says she regularly gets messages from her followers all around the world telling her that her photos motivate and inspire them.

She says she is also the ‘only legless boutique owner in Germany’ and often surprises her customers as she serves them in a wheelchair.

Hülya says having a positive attitude helps her live the life she wants.

‘I know I look different and I do things differently from most people but I have never felt different,’ she said.

‘I remember looking in the mirror for the first time after the amputations and fully realising that I only have half a body now, and I thought to myself that now I really have to start studying in school to get a good job and that’s what I did. I always looked forward and stayed positive.

‘So I am a mum now, a wife, a fashion boutique owner and I have a full-time job. When I was 18 doctors believed that I would be in a care home all my life. I think everything I have achieved was possible because I always believed that it could be.’