Kenny Easterday
Encyclopedia
Kenny Easterday is an American
man born with a rare disability
called sacral agenesis. To improve his mobility, his legs were amputated at the hip when he was six months.
Easterday gained some notoriety following the 1988 release of the Canadian movie The Kid Brother
(1988), in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. To this day, Kenny Easterday refuses to use a prosthesis
, preferring to walk on his hands or use a skateboard
. He was married at the age of 19 to an able-bodied woman named Sarah; they were divorced two years later. He was a regular on The Jerry Springer Show
as The Messenger.
Kenny became the focus of a special on TLC
titled "The Man with Half a Body". On the show, Kenny would find out if he is the father of one of the 2 children of his fiancée, Nikki. The show aired at 8:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM CDT) on Easter Day, April 4, 2010.
During the special, the paternity results came back and have shown that Kenny is not the biological father of Nikki's daughter, Desiree. However, he still considers Desiree, "his girl" and Dylan, "his boy".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
man born with a rare disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
called sacral agenesis. To improve his mobility, his legs were amputated at the hip when he was six months.
Easterday gained some notoriety following the 1988 release of the Canadian movie The Kid Brother
Kenny (1988 film)
Kenny is a 1988 film featuring Kenny Easterday in a semi-autobiographical role.-Plot:The film follows how 13-year-old Kenny, his family and neighborhood deal with the intrusion of a French-speaking Quebec crew filming a documentary about Kenny's adaptation to his unusual congenital condition, the...
(1988), in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. To this day, Kenny Easterday refuses to use a prosthesis
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
, preferring to walk on his hands or use a skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
. He was married at the age of 19 to an able-bodied woman named Sarah; they were divorced two years later. He was a regular on The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
as The Messenger.
Kenny became the focus of a special on TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
titled "The Man with Half a Body". On the show, Kenny would find out if he is the father of one of the 2 children of his fiancée, Nikki. The show aired at 8:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM CDT) on Easter Day, April 4, 2010.
During the special, the paternity results came back and have shown that Kenny is not the biological father of Nikki's daughter, Desiree. However, he still considers Desiree, "his girl" and Dylan, "his boy".