Meet Chiara – helping others with hemiplegia with her one-handed hacks!

27-year-old Chiara had a stroke when she was two which led to her hemiplegia and very little movement in her right arm.

Previously Chiara used to hide her right arm behind her back, but she took a chance one day and started sharing her experiences, photos and ingeniuous life hacks on YouTube – inspiring 100s of others with hemiplegia to find new ways of tackling every-day activities at the same time.

A regular YouTuber and Instagrammer, Chiara now regularly demonstrates how to tackle everyday activities like drawing, cooking and putting on makeup using just one hand.

Chiara was recently asked to share her story on BBC Newsbeat and told them:

“It’s OK to be different. My struggle was always that I looked different, which was quite a hard thing to deal with. I really wanted to help people who are struggling with stroke or hemiplegia to find a way to do things. Because ultimately, that’s my goal: to live as independently as I can for myself.”

Chiara uploads a new video each week to her Instagram account or you can subscribe to her Youtube Channel – Chiara’s One Handed Life.

Chiara says she’s received messages, both from parents who have children with hemiplegia and people who’ve had strokes later in life, saying her videos have helped.

She says: “People have said: ‘you’ve made me believe that my child can be independent, you’ve helped me think that my child will be OK’.”

She also has a message for her younger self and those in a similar position: “Confidence comes with time, be more happy with yourself and more confident.”

Take a look at Chiara’s Youtube channel or Instagram to see more life-hacks from Chiara.