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Teenager Amir Bomjan knows how lucky he is to have survived the earthquake that rocked Nepal one year ago.

But every day, Amir is grateful for so much more.

Because while more than 8,000 people died in the devastation, it set off a chain of events that saved him from a daily living hell.

After suffering a rare disease as a child, Amir had been left with no legs, withered arms and paralysed from the neck down.

Living in a remote village, he had been sidelined by the poor country’s school and medical systems.

But locked away inside him was a remarkable gift for painting, poetry and music.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

And when aid workers helping quake survivors saw his plight everything changed.

He was offered a place at a special school in Kathmandu and suddenly Amir’s inner talents came to light.

Now 16, he says: “I could start to have hope and dreams. I have a future. The earthquake has changed my life for ever.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

"I know it killed many people – but it saved my life.”

He is supported by the Karuna Foundation, an inspirational c­hildren’s charity that pays for his paints, canvases and schooling.

To watch him use his teeth to skilfully guide a paintbrush to finish yet another stunning picture is an amazing privilege.

With a big, beaming smile, Amir jokes: “I don’t do hand-writing. I do mouth-writing. I can write, I can paint, I can sing, I can write poetry.

“I really love painting and my dream would be to see my pictures displayed in a gallery in London or New York. That would be fantastic.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Amir, who needs round-the-clock care, is thriving at the school in his country’s capital, 50 miles from the village of Palung where he grew up.

He gets around on a specially constructed trolley. Greeting us with a smile, he asks to be wheeled outside so as not to disturb his classmates.

When the 7.8 magnitude shock ripped through the Himalayas in April last year, his family were among hundreds of thousands left homeless.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

He says: “The house started to shake. There were five members of the family inside and I was in the bathroom. Incredibly, we all got out safely.

Read more:Rescued baby reunited with mum after 22 hours buried under rubble

“They had to flee for their lives but came back to get me. It was very frightening.”

Amir’s brother Dipes, 13, suffered a broken arm as he fled. Amir says: “That was really bad and it took a long time for him to get better.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

“Afterwards we lived in a tent. It was very, very hard. I felt very scared.

“It was cold and damp. I kept my thoughts private from my family – but I wondered why God decided to give us such a hard life?

“We spent four months living in that tent. It was terrible.

“Then eventually we were able to build a temporary shelter – where the rest of my family still live.

"We were so poor we were the last family in the village to build a shelter.”

(Image: Getty Images)

As aid agencies worked to help the country of 28 million people recover, the Karuna Foundation – motto: “No child left behind” – started a mission to also offer relief to youngsters in need.

When a representative visited Palung, little did Amir know his life would change forever.

He said excitedly: “I remember the day when the man from the Foundation came.

"Others from different organisations had been before and always said they could help and would come back.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

"But they never did. No one came back. This particular day it was raining heavily and he asked what were my problems.

“I remember saying, ‘If you want to hear about all my problems you will be here a very long time.’ But he listened – and he did come back. It restored my faith in human beings.”

Amir is the only person in Nepal known to suffer from arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.

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He now studies at the Serc school for special needs children in Kathmandu, and lives in a hostel a 15-minute bus ride away.

Accompanied at all times by his mum or gran, a helper has to carry him each way.

His latest song is a powerful ballad about his love for his mum and his family.

He is learning English and computer skills and hopes in the future to be able to use a laptop. But he is happiest with a brush or pen in his mouth.

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

As younger children sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in a nearby classroom, Amir works on his paintings in the playground outside, lying flat on his stomach.

He paints colourful flowers, the Nepalese flag and his memories of the quake.

He says: “When it happened everyone said, ‘We are going to all die anyway so let’s have a party’. But we had no money and we couldn’t.

“I was so worried for my brother but his arm was fixed and he’s OK now.”

(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Sunday Mirror)

Amir is one of hundreds of quake kids aided by the Karuna Foundation.

Director Deepak Sapkota said: “We were so pleased to be able to help Amir. He is a really special boy.

"There are five or six schools like this in Nepal – and we really need 200.”

Amir says: “I cannot thank them enough. Now I can achieve my dreams.”