After a horrific car accident, 4-year-old Edgard John Augustin woke up to see that both of his legs were missing from the knees down. Now, nearly 30 years later, he’s a champion bodybuilder.
His older brother who was seated next to him was also missing a leg, injuries caused from railing that pierced the back window after their mother lost control driving down the highway. All three members of the Augustin family survived the tragic accident.
According to Nitrocut, Edgard spent his first year after the accident at a center in Paris that specializes in rehabilitation for veterans and amputees. The 4-year-old spent a year there being taught to walk, first on crutches, then on his prostheses alone. Prosthetic legs and feet don’t provide the same kind of balance as normal rotating ankles, so he learned from a very young age how to use his upper body as his main source of balance due to the lack of stability in his legs.
After moving back home, Edgard suffered through years of teasing about his legs from classmates. His mother also suffered through guilt for most of her life after being the driver in an accident that left her both her sons handicapped, even though she wasn’t at fault.
Surviving the accident at such a young age enabled Edgard to view his handicaps as a way of life, not as a handicap holding him back. Edgard was fortunate to never go through depression as a result of his accident and handicap, but he did miss his love for running when returning home and to school.
After finishing high school, Edgard went to France to work on earning a BTS, a national French diploma for higher education, and it was there that he discovered a love for the gym.
Edgard had always preferred that his handicap be kept a private matter, wearing pants to cover his prostheses (even at the gym at first), so that only his close family and friends were aware of it. Several years after starting training he connected with a photographer, who had been looking for an athlete in top physique to shoot. The photographer was inspired to shoot a series of photos around Edgard’s handicap. The shoot included pictures of Edgard in…