Woman born without arms learns how to sew with her feet to make PPE for healthcare workers

Although this pandemic started off with an alarming wave of panic shoppers hoarding a lifetime's worth of toilet paper and hand sanitizers, we've since found comfort in inspiring stories of humanity and selflessness. One such heartwarming story is that of Norfarrah Syahirah Shaari, a 32-year-old born without arms. Having never let her disability stand in the way of her day-to-day life, Shaari saw no reason why she couldn't use her sewing talents—a skill she picked up to stitch her own clothes—to help protect healthcare workers on the forefront of the battle against the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

According to New Straits Times, Shaari—who is from Perak, Malaysia—has been sewing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline staff of Teluk Intan Hospital and Teluk Intan health clinic. She volunteered to make protective gowns for the medical staff through a corporate social responsibility program known as #DariKomunitiUntukKomuniti with Teluk Intan Community College where she is an administrative assistant. "A total of 35 people are involved, including 25 volunteer tailors from the KKTI area. We expect to make 252 isolation gowns using 400 meters of fabric. We divided the fabric to sew the gowns at our homes and offices," she revealed.

"Each volunteer has a different role. Someone will measure and cut the fabric, another will draw the polar and someone else will sew the PPE. I can sew eight PPE gowns a day," Shaari explained. "We will collect all the PPE on Monday before distributing them to the frontliners. I feel proud to be part of this program and this is the little thing we can do to help our healthcare workers." Shaari, who can drive a car using her legs, believes God would not burden a soul with more than it could bear.

Shaari has been posting videos of the stitching process on Facebook in the hopes of inspiring others to do their bit during these dark times.

Impressed by her talents and perseverance to master the skill, PEOPLE praised Shaari for devoting her time and effort to help out healthcare workers.

"I have to learn to adapt to the demands of everyday life using my feet. I learned tailoring by myself eight years ago because I needed to make special clothes for myself," Shaari explained. "Some even ask, how do I even thread a needle? Well, it was very difficult at first and required a lot of patience but I managed to do it. Now it takes me only a second to thread the needle using my feet." 

According to Malay Mail, Shaari first made headlines last July when a video of her driving a car with her feet went viral on social media. She revealed at the time that she'd mustered up the courage to obtain her driving license seven years ago to prove that having a disability doesn't mean a person cannot be independent and self-sufficient.