Australian motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, who was born without legs and arms, will give a speech on his life in Shenzhen on Sept. 3.

Vujicic was born in 1982 with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of arms and legs. He is one of the seven known surviving individuals planet-wide who live with the syndrome.

According to his autobiography, his mother refused to see him or hold him while the nurse held him in front of her, but his parents eventually accepted their son’s condition and understood it as God’s plan for their son.

Vujicic has two small and deformed feet, one of which he calls his “chicken drumstick” because of its shape. Originally, he was born with the toes of that foot fused. An operation was performed to separate the toes so that he could use them as fingers to grab, turn a page, or perform other functions. He has been able to use his foot to operate an electric wheelchair, a computer and a mobile phone. Vujicic attempted suicide but notes that he had an “amazingly normal childhood.”

Vujicic thrived in his teenage and young adult years despite being bullied. After his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability when he was 17, he started to give talks at his prayer group.

Vujicic graduated from Griffith University with a bachelor of commerce degree, with a double major in accountancy and financial planning.

Vujicic started his speaking engagements at 19. In 2005, he founded Life Without Limbs, an international nonprofit organization. In 2007, he founded Attitude Is Altitude, a secular motivational speaking company. He starred in the short film “The Butterfly Circus.”

At the 2010 Method Fest Independent Film Festival, he was awarded Best Actor in a Short Film for his starring performance as Will.

His first book, “Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life,” was published by Random House in 2010 and has been translated into more than 30 languages.

He recorded a motivational DVD, “Life’s Greater Purpose,” a short documentary filmed in 2005. The second part of the DVD was filmed at his local church in Brisbane. He also recorded another DVD for young people titled “No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!”

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 3

Tickets: 180-980 yuan

Booking: 400-610-3721

Venue: Gymnasium of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, 3001 Binhai Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区滨海大道3001号深圳湾体育中心体育馆)

Metro: Line 2, Keyuan Station (科苑站), Exit A(SD News)