Kenny Easterday
| Kenny Easterday The Man With Half a Body | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kenneth Easterday December 7, 1973 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 12, 2016 (aged 42) |
| Residence | West Virginia, US |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Easterly (m. 1992 – div. 1994) Nikki (fiancée) |
| Children |
Desiree (daughter) Dylan (son) |
Kenneth "Kenny" Easterday (December 7, 1973 – February 12, 2016) was an American man born with the rare disability, sacral agenesis.[1] To improve his mobility, his legs were amputated at the hip when he was six months old.[2]
Life and career
The amputations took place in two stages. The first amputation surgery took Easterday's shin bones, which were used to replace his missing spinal column. At the time of Easterday's first amputation surgery he was only expected to live six months to one year. At six months of age, Easterday underwent a second and final amputation surgery which involved amputating the rest of his remaining legs at the hips.[3]
Easterday gained some notoriety following the 1988 release of the Canadian movie The Kid Brother (1988, also known as Kenny), in which he played a fictionalized version of himself.[4] Easterday refused to use a prosthesis, preferring to walk on his hands or use a skateboard. He was married at the age of 19 to an able-bodied woman named Sarah; they were divorced two years later.
He was a regular on The Jerry Springer Show in which he functioned as "The Messenger." He was also the focus of a 2010 TLC special[5] titled "The Man with Half a Body".[6]
He was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.[7] Easterday died on February 12, 2016, aged 42.[8]
References
- ↑ "Man with half a body defies the odds by 'fathering a child'". Daily Mail. London. April 3, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Man With Half a Body Subject of New Documentary". FOX News Network. April 5, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ Pongracz, Melanie (March 13, 2014). "Kenny Easterday". Prezi. Melanie Pongracz. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ↑ Haydon, Harry (April 2, 2010). "Half a body — but he's all man". London: The Sun. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ "The Man with Half a Body — Paternity Test (YouTube video)". The Learning Channel. April 2, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ "The Man With Half a Body". ABC News. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ Blank, Ed (September 19, 2004). "Area native relished making film about West Aliquippa boy". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/kenny-easterday-dies-man-half-body-famous-jerry-springer-appearances-dies-42-1544216