A double amputee mum who is the same height as her toddler after she lost both legs to sepsis says she "doesn't care when people stare".<br /><br />Hülya Marquardt, 40, had metal pins inserted into her legs to straighten them when she was a child.<br /><br />But the tissue around the pins got infected, Hülya developed sepsis and she had both legs amputated above the knees, aged 18.<br /><br />Doctors said she'd live in a care home but defiant Hülya walked on her hands and used a skateboard.<br /><br />At 1m tall she said "people thought I shouldn't have a child" but Hülya and husband Dennis Marquardt, 39, became parents to Rangi, now three.<br /><br />Hülya said she has been able to do everything an able-bodied mother can - just "differently".<br /><br />She is often stared at by strangers when they see her crawling on the ground - but says she doesn't need "pity" or "praise" for living her life independently.<br /><br />Hülya, a fashion boutique owner, from Stuttgart, Germany, said: "An amputee is just another human being with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else.<br /><br />"Having no legs, I am only one metre tall and this looks very different from what we conceive as 'normal' within our society.<br /><br />"But it simply means that I have to do some things differently and depend on help for other things.<br /><br />"When people see me crawling on the ground, they often think that there is no dignity in having to live this way.<br /><br />"But I think there is always dignity in trying to lead a self-determined and independent life.<br /><br />"I didn’t want my child to grow up any differently or miss out because I'm disabled.<br /><br />"If I struggle or fall over it can be tough but as long as I don't hurt myself I can always laugh about it."<br /><br />Hülya was born was with deformities in her legs and hands and grew up being bullied for her differences.<br /><br />After surgery she could walk, but aged 17, one of the screws came loose, leading to an infection which became sepsis, and she had a double amputation.<br /><br />She said: "Doctors back then also told me I’d probably always have to use an electric wheelchair because I couldn’t use a manual one with my hands.<br /><br />"They thought I'd be living in a care home for my whole life."<br /><br />She also got prosthetics fitted for her stumps.<br /><br />She said: "Everyone around me was surprised how quickly I adapted to this new life physically and mentally.<br /><br />"But I lived with a disability from a young age so I was used to adapting - I straight away told myself I just need to get on with it and make the most of it.<br /><br />"If I'm now the 'half girl', I'll just have to be the 'half girl'."<br /><br />She became fully independent - securing an office job and a hand-controlled car.<br /><br />In 2014 she met Dennis through a mutual friend and they travelled the world together before marrying in 2018.<br /><br />They bought a home together in Stuttgart and settled down and by late 2019 they found were expecting a child.<br /><br />She said: "I wasn’t directly told that I shouldn’t have children but people were surprised when I told them.<br /><br />"I know that some people thought I shouldn't have a child."<br /><br />The expectant parents agreed not to do any disability screenings on their unborn child because they would "love the child whatever happened".<br /><br />Rangi was born able-bodied weighing 7lbs14oz on May 11 2020.<br /><br />When Rangi was a baby, Hülya would crawl on the ground with him and push him in a custom-made basket with wheels.<br /><br />Now a toddler, he can walk and climb all by himself - making him a lot more difficult to chase, she said.<br /><br />But Hülya can still handle it like any other parent by using her skateboard or walking on her hands.<br /><br />"I wouldn’t be much fun if I went in my wheelchair or prosthetics," she said.<br /><br />"This way, I can do everything with him like go down the slide and through tunnels.<br /><br />Hülya says she doesn't let stares from strangers get her down.<br /><br />She said: "I don't really care that I'm stared at and I never really did - I don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed.<br /><br />"I never seen the point of restricting myself even more because of what others might think."<br /><br />Dennis, a high school teacher, added: "I had to get used to the staring faces and comments - at the beginning I was really protective.<br /><br />"But now I have to be like Hülya and just laugh it off.<br /><br />"I have always thought she was perfect and beautiful.<br /><br />"It's not a case of seeing past her disability but seeing the disability is a part of her.<br /><br />"Now we have Rangi, the best thing about being a parent is that it's like our life is newly charged.<br /><br />"You feel more motivated - and if a child feels loved there is a solution for everything."
