History HandicappedBadass / RealLife

* At least three famous admirals count as this:

* [[https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27114444/mike-brolylegs-begum-most-extraordinary-street-fighter-competitor Mike Begum]], known as [=BrolyLegs=], was a member of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity who was born with a rare muscular development disorder that caused the muscles in his legs and hands to not develop normally. Since he could not use a controller with his hands, he instead used a controller with his ''mouth''. On top of that, his condition made it impossible for him to use two of the six buttons needed to play his favorite game, ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. In spite of his unconventional method of playing, he was a well-known competitive ''Street Fighter'' player, especially as the character Chun-Li -- all of whose moves can be performed with the buttons he ''could'' use. On one occasion, he won 2–0 against the comparatively able-bodied (and infinitely more of a SoreLoser) [=LowTierGod=]. [=BrolyLegs=] stayed active in the fighting game community until his passing at age 35 in 2024.

* Former ChampCar and Formula 1 driver Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi lost both of his legs in 2001 as the result of a terrifying accident at the [=EuroSpeedway=] Lausitz. Despite such a life-changing injury, he returned to compete in motorsports, winning multiple races in the World Touring Car Championship for BMW before switching to para-cycling, winning four gold medals at the Paralympics in 2012 and 2016. Then, just to prove he had not unlearned anything from his previous profession, he proceeded to return to motorsport, winning the final race of the 2016 Italian GT Championship.

* [[https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27114444/mike-brolylegs-begum-most-extraordinary-street-fighter-competitor Mike Begum]], known as [=BrolyLegs=], was a member of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity who was born with a rare muscular development disorder that caused the muscles in his legs and hands to not develop normally. Since he could not use a controller with his hands, he instead used a controller with his ''mouth''. On top of that, his condition made it impossible for him to use two of the six buttons needed to play his favorite game, ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. In spite of his unconventional method of playing, he was a well-known competitive ''Street Fighter'' player, especially as the character Chun-Li -- all of whose moves can be performed with the buttons he ''can'' use. On one occasion, he won 2–0 against the comparatively able-bodied (and infinitely more of a SoreLoser) [=LowTierGod=]. [=BrolyLegs=] stayed active in the fighting game community until his passing at age 35 in 2024.

* [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] pitcher Jim Abbott famously pitched a decade long career at the top level while having been born without a right hand. The highlight of his career was a no-hitter (an incredibly rare feat of pitching dominance that several of the greatest MLB pitchers never did once in their career) he threw for the New York Yankees against a Cleveland team that fielded multiple Hall of Fame-caliber hitters. He also once finished top-3 in American League Cy Young award voting (the award given to the best pitcher in each league of MLB), and also registered two hits in 21 career at-bats despite both only having one hand to grip the bat 'and' being a pitcher, a position already notorious for players who are bad at getting hits.

* [[https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27114444/mike-brolylegs-begum-most-extraordinary-street-fighter-competitor Mike Begum]], known as [=BrolyLegs=], is a member of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity who was born with a rare muscular development disorder that caused the muscles in his legs and hands to not develop normally. Since he cannot use a controller with his hands, he instead uses a controller with his ''mouth''. On top of that, his condition makes it impossible for him to use two of the six buttons needed to play his favorite game, ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. In spite of his unconventional method of playing, he is a well-known competitive ''Street Fighter'' player, especially as the character Chun-Li -- all of whose moves can be performed with the buttons he ''can'' use. On one occasion, he won 2-0 against the comparatively able-bodied (and infinitely more of a SoreLoser) [=LowTierGod=].

* [[https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27114444/mike-brolylegs-begum-most-extraordinary-street-fighter-competitor Mike Begum]], known as [=BrolyLegs=], is a member of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity who was born with a rare muscular development disorder that caused the muscles in his legs and hands to not develop normally. Since he cannot use a controller with his hands, he instead uses a controller with his ''mouth''. On top of that, his condition makes it impossible for him to use two of the six buttons needed to play his favorite game, ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. In spite of his unconventional method of playing, he is a well-known competitive ''Street Fighter'' player, especially as the character Chun-Li — all of whose moves can be performed with the buttons he ''can'' use. On one occasion, he won 2-0 against the comparatively able-bodied (and infinitely more of a SoreLoser) WebVideo/LowTierGod.

* Polish UsefulNotes/FormulaOne driver Robert Kubica was considered a potential future Champion, and had a preliminary deal in place to sign for Ferrari in 2012... until he figured in a rally crash in February 2011, leaving his right arm noticeably atrophied and with little (if any) movement. Undeterred Kubica continued his forays in motorsport, winning the inaugural WRC-2 title in 2013; then joining the Williams F1 Team for the 2019 (which many people thought would be impossible,) and even managing to score a single point[[labelnote:Explanation]]From the 2019 German GP, though that race was an attritional battle at worst, and his single point came after the race stewards disqualified the two cars ahead of him on a technicality[[/labelnote]], despite being outqualified all throughout by his younger teammate; then race in DTM in 2020, alongside a test driver role for the Alfa Romeo F1 team; then participating in endurance racing, alongside a couple more F1 races[[labelnote:Note]]Dutch and Italian GP's, substituting for Kimi Raikkonen who was temporarily sidelined due to COVID-19[/labelnote]] in 2021, then becoming part of the team who won the World Endurance Championship under the [=LMP2=] category in 2023. Considering how bad his accident was back then, his return run to motorsport as a whole definitely qualifies him for the trope.

* [[http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2012-12-20/news/garrett-holeve-an-mma-fighter-with-down-syndrome-is-on-his-way-to-changing-the-sport/full Garrett Holeve,]] aspiring mixed-martial-arts fighter with Down's Syndrome. He wants to beat the crap out of Music/ChrisBrown "[[WifeBasherBasher because he beats women]]." It's not clear due to his disability that he'll ever get a UFC contract like he wants, but he's badass either way.

* Jean Jacques Machado, meet [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaquem_Griffin Shaquem Griffin]]. He was born with the same condition, in his case causing him to be born with abnormally soft tissue in his left hand and fingers, which caused him such constant, unbearable pain that at the age of 4, he nearly tried to ''cut his own hand off'' with a kitchen knife; the next day, his mother, a nurse, called in some favors, and Shaquem went into surgery to have his hand amputated. His lack of a hand didn't keep him from high school sports. Or from a very successful [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball college football]] career at [[UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}} UCF]], even being named the defensive player of the year in the [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootballConferences American Athletic Conference]] in 2016. Then at the 2018 [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] Draft Combine, he performed 20 repetitions of 225 pounds (102 kg) in the bench press with a prosthetic left hand, ''and'' recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time ever at the combine for a linebacker. Griffin was picked by the Seattle Seahawks, made the roster, and played with the team until moving to the Miami Dolphins after the 2020 season.

* Polish UsefulNotes/FormulaOne driver Robert Kubica was considered a potential future Champion, and had a preliminary deal in place to sign for Ferrari in 2012... until he figured in a rally crash in February 2011, leaving his right arm noticeably atrophied and with little (if any) movement. Undeterred Kubica continued his forays in motorsport, winning the inaugural WRC-2 title in 2013; then joining the Williams F1 Team for the 2019 (which many people thought would be impossible,) and even managing to score a single point[[labelnote:Explanation]]From the 2019 German GP, though that race was an attritional battle at worst, and his single point came after the race stewards disqualified the two cars ahead of him on a technicality[[/labelnote]], despite being outqualified all throughout by his younger teammate; then race in DTM in 2020, alongside a test driver role for the Alfa Romeo F1 team; then participating in endurance racing, alongside a couple more F1 races[[labelnote:Note]]Dutch and Italian GP's, substituting for Kimi Raikkonen who was temporarily sidelined due to [=CoVID-19=][[/labelnote]] in 2021, then becoming part of the team who won the World Endurance Championship under the [=LMP2=] category in 2023. Considering how bad his accident was back then, his return run to motorsport as a whole definitely qualifies him for the trope.

* Creator/StephenHawking suffered from a severe, horribly progressed case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was almost completely paralyzed, and could only use his cheek muscles to control the movements of his wheelchair and voice synthesizer. Despite this, he was as upbeat and optimistic as it gets, and was also one of the brightest and most intelligent scientists on the planet. What's most impressive is how long he lived with his condition before he ultimately succumbed to it; when he was first diagnosed with ALS in 1963 the doctors predicted he would only live for two and a half more years. He lived with ALS for 55 years after his initial diagnosis and died at age 76 on March 14th, 2018, meaning he managed to live out an average lifespan for a male living in a developed country against all odds. He became the archetype for a GeniusCripple and might be a better example than even any fictional character.

* Music/NeilYoung counts as this among musicians. He's been assaulted with sickness and pain throughout his life -- childhood polio and post-polio syndrome, diabetes type 1, a serious back injury, epilepsy following a beating from a cop, possible radiation sickness, migraine headaches, scoliosis, osteoporosis, and a life-threatening brain aneurysm -- which was repaired through neuroradiology, then he almost bled to death from the incision. Never stops him. He turns 76 in November 2021 and is still actively recording, performing, and speaking up to save the earth.

* Robert Kubica was considered a potential future Formula 1 champion, and had a preliminary deal in place to sign for Ferrari in 2012... then in February 2011 he was severely injured in a rally crash. His right arm was partially severed, and while it was re-attached, it's noticeably atrophied and has little (if any) movement. Undeterred, Kubica continued rallying, won the inaugural WRC-2 title in 2013, then in 2019 achieved what many people thought would be impossible and returned to Formula 1 with Williams. He was a shadow of his former self, coming stone dead last in almost every session and scoring his only point in an unusually attritional race... but the fact he was able to compete ''at all'', with only one working arm, is more than enough to qualify him for the list.

* UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt himself was essentially sick for his entire life, not to mention becoming blind in one eye (through a boxing match) and getting shot in the chest. Those didn't stop him...''at all.''

* Missouri resident and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers USA Today]]'' sportswriter [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Timanus Eddie Timanus]] is a handicapped ''[[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass smartass]]''. He made history on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' not only as the first blind contestant on the show but the first blind contestant to become a five-time undefeated champion. (At the time, five times was the limit.) There were ''a few'' changes made to accommodate Timanus: the first was that he received a card with the category names printed in Braille before each round, and a Braille keyboard to type out his name on the podium's computer and his response and wager for Final Jeopardy. There were also no video-based clues during his appearances. Later, he appeared in the ''Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions'' and then the ''Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades'' tournament, and was also a lifeline on ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''. In one appearance on ''Jeopardy'', host Alex Trebek asked him about how he was mentioned in ''TabletopGame/TrivialPursuit'', and he [[DeadpanSnarker half-jokingly replied]], "Well, the problem is, nobody wants to play Trivial Pursuit with me anymore."