Transgender teenager born without legs says: 'I won't let birth defect stop me being a star'



Rare disorder meant Piyah's spine and legs did not develop fully in the womb

Transgender teenager Piyah Martell was born with a shortened spine and tiny legs but it has not stopped her dreams of becoming a star.



The 19-year-old, who walks on her hands, films herself performing music videos of songs by divas like Mariah Carey and Beyonce, and has built up a loyal following on YouTube, Facebook and Myspace.

Determined: Piyah, now 19, told her parents she wanted to be a girl when she was 15

Piyah, from Sacramento, California, was born as Pedro Martell, but announced to her parents at the age of 15 that she wanted to start dressing as a girl.



She began buying women's outfits and wearing make-up and is now deciding whether to start hormone treatment so she can transition to becoming a full woman.



Piyah, whose body appears to stop at the waist, has a condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome, a rare disorder which means her spine and legs did not develop properly in the womb.



The brave teenager had a difficult time as a child, losing her real mother at seven, and being bullied at school because she was different.



She said: 'I've always felt different since I was about six. I liked playing with girl toys and I knew in my heart there was something different about me.



'I was born a boy but I have a girl mind.'



Piyah says her mother Mary treated her exactly the same as her brother Angelo, 21, despite her disability and this made her strong and determined.



'She raised me as a normal kid. I didn't realise I was different,' she explained.



'When I first started crawling I would scoot around on my shoulders. Then, I realised I couldn't use my legs, so if I was going to walk I would have to use my arms.'

Piyah Martell aged 4, pictured with her mother Mary and brother Angelo aged 7. Piyah has a condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome

Now Piyah still walks on her hands, but uses a wheelchair to avoid becoming tired, and found it difficult at high school because she struggled to get around.



'When I was at high school I was really shy. I had a disability and I started to realise that I didn't feel happy as a boy.



'I was teased and I often had to have time off school because I was sick. This made it even harder for me, and I didn't have a lot of friends,' she explained.



'When I was younger I used to wish I was like other people. It took me a long time to learn to be proud of who I am.'



But the young teen would retreat to her bedroom each evening to practise her songs and work on her dreams of becoming a singer.



'I've always loved performing for my family. Even when I was little, I would dress up and sing songs and dance for my mum and my brother,' she said.



'I could be myself at home, even though I was shy at school. As a teenager, I started to sing again for myself in my bedroom.



'I loved all the female singers but my main inspiration was Mariah Carey. I love her, but I don't want to be her. I want to be myself.'



When Piyah was 15, her dad Pete, now 62, married Brenda, also 62, who was already close to herself and Angelo.



Piyah said: 'My mum, Brenda and my dad all went to school together. Brenda and my dad were best friends.



'After my mum died they stayed friends. My dad had another bad relationship and after it was over, he was always going to my mum Brenda's house.



'Eventually they decided that they were meant for each other.



'Brenda came to live in our house and just stayed and we became a proper family again.'



After years of heartache, 15-year-old Piyah finally had the courage to tell Brenda and her dad that she was transgender, and wanted to transition to become a woman.



Piyah said: 'We were in the kitchen and my mum and dad were making dinner. We were laughing about something and it just felt like a good moment.



'I think they always knew I felt that way. But it was still a shock. Brenda was great and she started buying me scarves and lending me some of her tops.



'She also started buying some girl's clothes for me. My new look blended with my singing and I started to develop my image as Piyah the performer.'



The teenager designs, directs and films all her videos herself, using a webcam and a laptop bought by her godmother, which she sets up on her bed, while she performs her choreographed routines.



Over the last four years, Piyah, who cannot work because of her condition, has perfected her videos, and now has dozens on You Tube, and hundreds of fans on social networks.



'Some responses I receive are good, some are bad,' she said.



'But the majority of the comments I receive are good.



'My fans are amazing. The love they give me makes them like an extended family.'

Unstoppable: Piyah is able to walk on her hands, but also uses a wheelchair to get about

Piyah's fans have been an amazing support to her this year after her devoted stepmother Brenda was diagnosed with lung cancer and sadly passed away two weeks ago.



Piyah said: 'Part of me felt like she would pull through. I was so excited when she became my mum. She believed in me and she always supported me.



'It has been really hard but she always wanted me to achieve my dreams. I'm determined to make it as a singer and performer for Brenda's sake.'



Piyah is already an internet star, but the shy teen was given a taste of what her life could be like when she was invited to Pudding Stone Recording Studio in Sacramento to make a demo tape.



She said: 'It was amazing. Usually I only do my singing on my computer. But it gave me an idea of what I could be doing one day.



'I see myself as a big superstar, surrounded by glamour and having lots of fans.



'I want to show people that even If you have a birth defect it doesn't matter, you can live your life however you want.'

