Teacher and pupil bond after discovering they are both missing the lower part of one of their arms
A teacher and pupil bonded after discovering they are both missing the lower part of one of their arms. Leah Kaplan, 30, a special education teacher, met Reagan Justesen, eight, when she was covering a class at Brentwood Elementary School, Spokane, Washington, US. Leah and Reagan both had a congenital birth defect on their left arm - a disease of physical abnormality present from birth. Leah, from Spokane, Washington, US, said: "I ended up moving to Brentwood Elementary School in January 2022 and on my first day working I had to substitute for another class. "A little girl in that class saw me and put out her little arm and was like 'oh my gosh' - we had the same limb difference. "We were both very surprised." As well as teaching, Leah is a para-triathlete and said her arm has not held her back from doing what she loves. She said: "Personally for me, growing up it was quite lonely and it definitely felt like I stood out for sure, even though I didn't want to. "I already stood out as being Asian and with my arm, I felt like I wasn't liked. "I did sports growing up, my disability didn't stop me from doing what I loved in life and going after things." Leah said that she gifted Reagan her old adaptable bike, as she was eager to get the little girl interested in sports. [Video mute from source]