Boldness has replaced her shyness.

The result has affected hundreds of people who thought they were facing a life of complete dependence.

Theresa Lucas inspires others who have the rare condition arthrogryposis multiplex congenita by showing them just how capable she is, despite her severe impairment. She did it through sheer determination.

Lucas was born with a condition that doctors think may be caused by a lack of movement in the womb, not allowing the limbs and joints to form properly.

People with AMC have joints that don’t move at all and may have little or no muscle tissue in their limbs. Often their hands and feet turn inward.

“The doctor said I would never walk,” said Lucas, who began walking shortly before beginning kindergarten at age 5. “My mom had to fight a little bit to get me into the public schools.”

“It was kind of scary, her going to regular schools,” said Frank Lucas, her father. “The principal at North Anderson Elementary, Chester Buckman, I’ll never forget him. He was an advocate of people with disabilities.

“We tried to get her to stay on the first floor so she wouldn’t have to go up and down the stairs. He said no, that’s what it’s all about. In fourth grade, you go upstairs. If you want to be treated normally, that’s what we’ll do.”

Treating her normally was exactly what members of her family had been trying to do. Knowing that constantly waiting on her would only make Lucas weaker, they encouraged her to find to her own way to do things.

“One doctor told us, ‘You can’t make her normal, but you can make her functional,’” Frank added. “We did treat the kids equally and knew if she wanted something she’d figure out a way to do it. So most of the time, we had to sit tight and watch – which was very difficult – watching her struggle.”

Letting her find her own methods proved to be the best medicine available.

“And I did find my own way,” said Lucas, 43. “And I went to Anderson High School – when it was the ‘real’ Anderson High School – with three floors and my locker on the third floor. I just left class five minutes early. That’s all I did, and it worked.”

In high school, Lucas discovered her love for art and her ability to paint by placing the brush in her mouth, but she was too shy to allow anyone to watch her. Her teacher was kind enough to let her paint at home and bring her work to school.

Although she placed her art on the back burner to become a stay-at-home aunt caring for her nephew, she never forgot her love for painting.

Twelve years ago, she picked up watercolors and has been creating beautiful pictures ever since. She was still timid about her technique.