Dejana was born in Serbia without arms.
From the beginning, she had to learn how to do many of the things other children could do with their hands. She learned to eat, write, dress herself and handle everyday tasks using her feet.
But she didn’t stop at simply learning how to live independently.
She discovered art.
As a young girl, Dejana began drawing and painting by holding brushes between her toes. What started as a way of expressing herself slowly became a passion—and eventually, a career.
By the time she was nine, she had joined an international organization supporting artists who create with their mouths or feet.
Painting became part of who she was.
But her path was not always filled with encouragement.
When Dejana wanted to pursue formal art education, she encountered people who doubted that she could meet the requirements because she had no arms.
She recalls being told that she could not attend an art academy because she might not even be able to open certain doors independently.
Later, another challenge appeared when questions were raised about whether she could complete a mosaic assignment.
For some people, her disability was the first thing they saw.
For Dejana, it was simply another problem to solve.
So she solved it.
She completed the work and continued moving forward.
Eventually, she earned her degree in painting from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, proving that the limitations other people imagined for her did not have to become her own.
🖌️ And then Dejana surprised the world again.
In 2016, she entered a completely different arena: para taekwondo.
Painting had taught her patience, precision and discipline.
Now she was learning to fight.
She trained, competed and gradually began making her mark internationally.
In 2019, Dejana became a world champion in para taekwondo.
Two years later, in 2021, she did it again.
Another world title.
Another reminder that the boundaries placed around someone’s life by other people are not always the boundaries that person will accept.
🥋 But Dejana wasn’t finished.
She also explored para archery while continuing her work as a professional artist.
And despite everything she achieved in sport, painting remained especially close to her heart.
She has described herself not simply as an athlete, but as an artist who also happens to excel in sport.
That description says a lot about her.
Because Dejana’s story isn’t really about proving that she can do things without arms.
It’s about discovering what she loves—and refusing to let other people’s expectations decide how far she can go.
Then came another important chapter.
In 2023, Dejana became a mother.
Her priorities changed, and she eventually stepped away from competitive sport to devote more time to her daughter, her family and her painting.
The woman who once had to convince people that she could complete an art assignment had gone on to earn a university degree.
The girl who learned to hold a paintbrush with her toes had become a professional artist.
The athlete who entered para taekwondo in 2016 had become a two-time world champion.
And the person some once doubted could even open a door had opened doors that many people never imagined possible.
Today, it would be easy to introduce Dejana by saying she was born without arms.
But that is only where her story begins.
She is an artist.
A graduate.
A two-time world champion.
An athlete.
A mother.
And above all, a woman who learned early in life that having to do something differently does not mean you cannot do it beautifully.
Her feet didn’t just help her adapt to the world.
They helped her paint her dreams—and fight her way toward them.
So which achievement inspires you more: becoming a professional painter using her feet, or winning two world titles in para taekwondo?
