“Give it a go first”: The life lessons that shaped Jenene Nazareth
Jenene Nazareth knows she can achieve anything others can even if she takes a different path. Born in Melbourne to Sri Lankan parents who had only been living in Australia for three years, Jenene’s arrival with a limb difference came as a massive shock. In Sri Lanka at that time, Jenene says disability was not viewed positively or accepted widely.
Despite the unknown and their heavy reliance on doctors and specialists, Jenene feels her parents adapted remarkably well.
“I was brought up in very much… give it a go (environment). And if you can’t do it, come and ask for help. We’ll come and help you. But you give it a go first.”
Growing up, Jenene says she was always conscious of her difference in a world not inherently designed for people with limb differences. Though naturally right-handed, she adapted to life, though she says she still subconsciously prefers carrying items on her right side.
Her daily life involved unique adaptations, like thinking “four steps ahead” at the gym or subconsciously hiding her arm in photos before she caught onto the habit.
Navigating Identity, Childhood, and Social Stigmas
Her first interaction with other children with limb differences happened at a children’s hospital Christmas party. Being introduced to a community of kids with similar differences was a revelation:
“There are so many of us. Where did we all come from? Why have I never met these people before?”
In stark contrast, she also encountered environments where hand differences were kept “very hush-hush,” with people hiding their hands in handbags.
She credits her positive early exposure with shaping her resilient outlook.
During her teenage years, body consciousness crept in. Dating and fitting in presented real hurdles. She recalls the vulnerability of wondering if her arm would stop her from finding someone or if she was embarrassing to others.
Even in traditional Sri Lankan dancing, she says she once faced exclusion by being moved to the back corner because she looked different. Yet, these hurdles taught her a vital lesson:
“There will be people who are open to who you are and looking past it and there are people that won’t be. And it’s… not people that you need in your life.”
She emphasizes the importance of standing up for oneself, knowing one’s worth, and finding supportive people, many of whom remain her closest friends today, even forgetting she has one hand.
Career, Relationships, and Rejection of Traditional Prosthetics
In her professional life, Jenene found that corporate desk jobs in marketing offered a stable, positive environment compared to retail. Retail work meant constant exposure to staring crowds and children asking natural questions, which required immense daily emotional energy.
To break the ice during job interviews, and when asked if she has any needs or requirements to do the job she will often say:
“Unless this job requires my peeling a potato, I’ll be perfectly fine.”
While using dating apps in her twenties, she says subtle adaptations remained, like how much of her hand to reveal in her porfile and instinctively ordering pasta on a first date to avoid the awkwardness of cutting food with one hand.
She ultimately met her husband online. When they met in person in London, she says he only noticed her arm afterward, reacting with complete acceptance.
When it comes to prosthetics, Jenene shares a common sentiment with many in the limb difference community: she spent her youth hating them. Given prosthetics by the children’s hospital up until age seventeen, she would take them off within ten minutes.
Today, she only uses a gym-specific prosthetic to balance muscle asymmetry and prevent shoulder and neck pain, otherwise finding traditional daily wear bulky, claustrophobic, and spatially disorienting.
Mentoring the Next Generation and Advice for the Community
After years of building an independent life, travelling the world, buying a house, getting married, and establishing her career, Jenene realized she had valuable knowledge to share.
Encouraged by her husband, she started an Instagram account to provide practical tips and inspiration for parents and children navigating limb differences.
Jenene offers clear, invaluable advice for anyone growing up with a limb difference or raising a child with one:
- Never hide or be ashamed: Jenene stresses that a limb difference is not a negative or something to pretend doesn’t exist, noting, “It’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s not something to hide. It’s not a negative.”
- Foster independence early: She advises parents to always give children the opportunity to try things first on their own. Letting them ask for help when needed builds genuine self-belief. As she notes, “If you have faith in them, they will have faith in themselves.”
- Embrace different ways of doing things: Doing something differently does not mean doing it wrong. Children should be allowed to find their own path without parents placing artificial limitations on them.
- Maintain a positive internal dialogue: Ultimately, Jenene advises that mindset is everything. She shares:
“It’s all about how you see yourself, and how you speak to yourself… you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want to do it.”
This article is based on a conversation with Jenene, which will be featured in The Limb Shift, a podcast launching in October 2026. You can find it on Spotify, Apple podcasts and YouTube.
Jenene is an Ambassador for The Aussie Hands Foundation Inc. which is a voluntary, not-for-profit Australian organisation dedicated to supporting children and adults who have been born with a hand difference or have sustained an acquired hand injury.