While sharing the video, Sahu wrote, “Manami Ito is a qualified nurse & a paralympion swimmer from Japan. She lost an arm in a traffic accident but that did not deter her from playing many roles as usual including playing soulful tunes with a prosthetic arm on her violin. Truly inspirational #MondayMotivation”.

Manami Ito is a qualified nurse & a paralympion swimmer from Japan. She lost an arm in a traffic accident but that did not deter her from playing many roles as usual including playing soulful tunes with a prosthetic arm on her violin. Truly inspirational #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/S8xp2futLh

— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) December 5, 2022

It was in 2004 that Ito lost her one arm during a road accident while she was on her way to nursing school. However, she went on to finish her nursing school education. Ito started swimming in 2007 and eventually competed at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games. After a successful career as a swimmer, Ito retired from professional swimming in 2012 and quit her job as a nurse after marriage.

As per an article on the website of the International Paralympic Committee, Ito’s prosthetic arm was developed after she competed at the Beijing 2008 Games. Ito had learned to play the violin as a child but could not pursue it after the accident. However, she vowed to play the instrument again and started practising with her prosthetic arm. She eventually performed at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

While talking to the International Paralympic Committee during an interview, Ito explained her motivation to play the violin and said, “After losing my arm, I vowed to fulfil that promise one day, no matter how many years it takes. It could be an easy tune like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ or just a squeaking sound, but I wanted to play in front of my mom.”

Ito’s hard work bore fruits as her performance during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was witnessed by her family, including her mother.