Maria Pavy- Born with no arms and no legs, motivational speaker Nick Vujicic travels worldwide speaking about his story. On Sept. 11, he spoke at FHS. Being bullied himself as a kid, he spoke about the effects of bullying and ways to prevent it. Vujicic talked about showing love to others and giving hope to those that may feel like there is none.

The speech that Vujicic gave was aired to 81 different schools throughout Indiana. He has had six events streamed live throughout the state, and FHS was one school that was chosen for this rare opportunity.

At age ten, Vujicic attempted to commit suicide because of bullies and his depression from his disabilities. Out of empathy for those being bullied, he wants to impact other’s lives and give them hope for the future.

Vujicic’s inspiration to speak came from meeting a man that had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The man died at 27 years old, but had been diagnosed to die within three months when he was 22. Even though he could not talk or move, the man was still using his head with a laser technology to create a website to help bedridden people around the world.

“I met him, and saw his smile and his smile changed my life. I’m like, man, if this guy is changing hundreds of people’s lives, and giving them hope in any way shape or form, what am I doing?,” Vujicic said. “I can talk, I can travel, I can do something. He was the huge inspiration to me.”

According to Vujicic, it was the janitor at his high school that encouraged him to share his story. After sharing his story to 300 students, he found his passion to speak after a girl shared her testimony.

“One girl came up and said ‘thank you thank you thank you. No one’s ever told me they loved me and no one’s ever told me I’m beautiful the way that I am’”, Vujicic said. “That’s the day I knew that I was going to be a speaker.”

Similarly, Vujicic’s testimony has affected many lives, including lives at FHS. After his speech, Vujicic ended telling the students that he loved them and invited any student needing a hug to line up and he would give them one. The line of students stretched across the gymnasium, and students gave their testimony of the impact his message had on them. The stories are encouraging, but it is Vujicic’s faith that keeps him going.

“What helps me going is knowing how many people came up and told me today that ‘you saved my life today’, ‘Nick something changed in me’, ‘thank you for sharing’, ‘I felt like you were speaking just to me’,” Vujicic said. “Those kind of comments really help me go on, but really praying and knowing that God has a mission for me on earth to help other people realize that they can really be a miracle for someone else, that’s the greatest ministry and miracle of all.”

If a student is struggling with thoughts of suicide or depression, they are encouraged to text “Strong” to 313131. Students can also go here to send a message to Nick Vujicic.