Tony Melendez was born in 1962. His mother, like many unfortunate mothers, took the prescription drug Thalidomide. It was later found to cause severe birth defects in children if taken during pregnancy. For this reason Tony Melendez was born without arms.
Tony was made fun of by children as he grew up and says that it hurt him deeply. As a child he found his father’s guitar one day and started playing around with it. Fast forward a few years and Tony could play guitar very well, with his feet! Tony has become a message of inspiration and hope to many people. As an excellent musician and singer, he has even performed for the pope!