Man born with half his body missing due to Chernobyl radiation says his mum abandoned him
Tim Mason isn't letting anything hold him back.
He is missing both his legs and one arm thanks to the high levels of radiation his birth mother was exposed to during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The 25-year-old told Good Morning America his biological mother abandoned him in a Moscow orphanage as she 'did not want to raise a monster'.
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The orphanage harboured fears he would never find a loving home, but, despite missing half of his body, Tim found his true mother in US woman Virginia Mason.
"She knew I would be fine as I looked over and made fish faces at her," Tim said.
Tim moved to the US when he was three and initially used prosthetics as a child.
Now he's an adult, he's ditched them as they didn't 'feel like him' and refuses to let his disability get in the way of living his full, independent life.
He documents it all on TikTok, sharing his hilarious take on life while showing the world he's just like any other 25-year-old guy.
Most recently, he's been documenting his new passion: getting swole at the gym.
'One Limb Tim' - his words, not ours - lost a staggering 18 kilograms in 2021.
"Exercising is an amazing hobby," he said after his epic weight loss.
"I use the treadmill for about 10 to 30 minutes and I do my own version of weightlifting and crunches."
The Connecticut man revealed that he fields a lot of questions on social media on how he manages to work out despite his condition.
He had a clear message about that, though.
"Exercise is for anyone," he said. "People don’t realise that I’m not just sitting in my room as a triple amputee."
He revealed his fitness journey has kept him 'healthy both physically and mentally'.
Tim revealed he does cop a lot of hate, but throughout his life he has learned how to keep calm and carry on.
"There is a lot of doubt in what I can do. It can be discouraging," he said. "But I am here and making it through."
He added that he appreciates the kindness that social media can also bring.
"I have seen so many positive comments and it means the world to me," he said.
The 25-year-old added that people are sometimes afraid to ask questions, but there is one query in particular that he fields quite often.
"I am frequently asked how do I go to the bathroom which I find hilarious," he revealed.
Rachel Lang