03:52 PM PDT on Monday, July 27, 2009

By TERESA YUAN, Kgw.com

PORTLAND, Ore. — A 16-year-old quadruple amputee from Portland is on her way to Juilliard School of Dance in New York thanks to an organization called “Dream Factory.”

Kiera Brinkley lost her arms and legs when she was two but has never considered herself handicapped.

“I am in a wheelchair but that doesn’t stop me,” says Brinkley.

Video: Dancer heads to Juilliard

Kiera caught pneumococcosis, a deadly bacterial infection, as a toddler. Doctors were forced to amputate her arms and legs.

“When she opened her eyes and asked if she could go back to her room and watch the movie ‘Lion King,’ I was like ‘she’s still Kiera but a little shorter’,” says Elesha Boyd, Kiera’s mom.

What the 16-year-old is not short on is her passion for dance.

Now, her dream trip to the Juilliard School of Dance in New York is about to come true.

“(Dance) touches me in a way I hope it can touch someone else,” says Kiera.

Kiera choreographs her own routines, incorporating her favourite flips and hand-stands.

Kiera’s dance teacher says “when she sees Kiera dance she can see her arms and legs,” reports Keira’s mom.

“It blew me away,” said Tricia Batchler, who coordinates “Dream Factory” as part of a student internship at Marylhurst University. The organization helps critically and chronically ill children fulfil their fantasies.

Kiera’s life-long dream has been a trip to the prestigious dance school Juilliard in New York City.

“I wanted to give her something really special, so I pressed her and she said, ‘Okay I want to dance. I want to dance at Juilliard’,” said Batchler.

“It’s a miracle honestly, as a dancer, to be able to go there,” said Brinkley. “It will help me grow stronger in my dance career.”

During her week at Juilliard, she’ll get a tour, sit in on classes, and perform for students. Kiera and her family leave for New York City on Tuesday.

Published by Hydraujoint

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