A book about a former Paralympic World Record holder who lost both of his arms at age 12.

My Armless Teacher is an illustrated autobiographical book of middle school teacher former Paralympic World Record holder – Vitalis Lanshima.

Have you ever felt so weighed down by the circumstances of life that you want to give up? My goal is to write a book about the unquenchable determination of the human spirit. The spirit that says we can do anything that we set our mind to.

This book is beautifully illustrated by Paul Pevely and depicts my challenges of living with a disability in Africa and eventually ascending to the pinnacle of the Paralympic sports and becoming the first international Paralympic athlete recruited by any college in the United Sates.

Who is "My Armless Teacher" and what's the big idea here?

My Armless Teacher is an illustrated autobiographical book based on my life. As a young teen at twelve, I found myself facing my greatest challenge in life. On Friday October 13, 1989, I was training for an athletic competition when the crossbar I was holding with both hands inadvertently touched an electric, high-voltage power cable and I was electrocuted. I experienced third-degree burns that melted my fingers together, rendering my hands useless. After several surgeries to repair damaged nerves and restore function, gangrene set in, leading the doctors to settle for amputation. This accident seemed to cripple any hopes I had to steer myself and my family out of poverty.

My Armless Teacher is the first book in a multi book series that depicts the challenges I faced living with a disability in Africa, where the only means of livelihood for a handicapped person is begging for money on major street corners. It describes my reliance on my family and friends for my daily care and needs for 5 years. The book illustrates my determination to empower myself - learning to eat, bathe, dress, write, and eventually competing again. I enrolled in 7th grade at the age of eighteen and also began to work hard to become a world-class athlete. The first book ends with my determination to study at one of the best universities in the United States, Bellarmine University, where I currently work as an Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship. I also teach as a special education teacher at a middle school in Louisville, Kentucky.

Why “My Armless Teacher” matters

The book is motivated by a simple powerful idea - that if we work hard and remain steadfast, we will be successful. In the book, I relate to one of my students that “attitude is the barrier to success”. As we go through life, we face numerous challenges. Challenges in our relationships with others, challenges in school, challenges with self-esteem and the way others perceive us. This book series provides a lesson to all of us, that sometimes we have to bury our pride, act with humility, depend on others, and ultimately never ever give up!

The Budget

The book will be available both in hardcover and softcover, 10x8 inches and 38 pages, as well as audio. To produce the minimum order of 1000 copies, I will need your help!

Breakdown of budget

• Professional Editor for spelling, grammar, content and storyline

• Book illustrations

• Book layout design

• Obtain ISBN numbers

• Library of Congress Control Number

• Registration fees

• Online and bookstores listing

• Book production

• Shipping

Lastly …

This book will serve as an inspirational book for many children, teachers, adults, and families for years to come, but it will not be possible without YOUR help! I do not want to take any shortcuts or compromise on any details for this book, so that is why I have come to Kick Starter, where I believe I will get the funds to pay for this project. Thank you for taking the time to read through my proposal and please consider pledging to help fund this project. I will be posting updates on Facebook and Twitter if you would like to keep up with this project.

Facebook: facebook.com/myarmlessteacher

Twitter: @myarmlessteacher

Website: www.myarmlessteacher.com

I have researched the process of publishing a book extensively and have learned almost everything I need to know about publishing. I have also teamed up with great people who are experienced in their areas of expertise to support the project. I am very pleased and excited about this opportunity! My plan for this book is as follows:

1. Illustrating the book
I am not illustrating the children’s book, so I have contracted with an experienced illustrator to illustrate the book. The book images are currently being illustrated and will be ready by April.

2. Editing the book
As an educator, I understand the importance of diligent editing to ensure that the book is age appropriate. I have hired an expert to edit the book to evaluate the storyline and word choices.

3. Printing the book
The book is industry standard, so I do not anticipate any problems with production. The Kickstarter funding will provide me with the guide on how many books I can afford to print and my timeline for distribution.

4. Shipping the book
I will be using a third party fulfillment services such as Amazon to ship the books. I will keep everyone involved in the process informed and my funders updated frequently about the process.

Thank you very much for the support and I feel very honored that you have considered my project.