A dancer is inspiring others with her Q&A sessions on TikTok after losing her hand in a boating accident.
Twenty-three-year-old Kristie Sita had her hand ripped off in a tragic boating accident at the age of 16 back in 2014.
According to New York Post, Kristie had been celebrating graduating from high school a few days earlier and had been swimming out on Ruby Lake on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia.
However, Kirstie was forced to have the limb amputated when a rope attached to an inflatable wrapped around her wrist and severed her hand when she suddenly jerked backward.
Recalling the frightening incident in one of her TikTok videos, Kirstie said: "My initial reaction was to reach out to grab the rope.
"The next thing I remember, I was in the water surrounded by blood. I raised my left hand to say: ‘come get me’, and I didn’t have a left hand. At that point, I went into survival mode."
After losing consciousness, she was airlifted to British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery. Her severed hand was found floating in the lake the next day, but it was too late to reattach it.
But despite losing the use of a limb, Kirstie was determined not to let her disability affect her dream, and has now found success for herself as a professional dancer.
Opening up about the experience, she said: "Knowing that I was a dancer and an athlete, doctors decided to leave me as an amputee as they knew they could save so much more of my arm doing that.
"My arm was sewn together by wrapping my palm around the wound. My ligaments and muscles were torn around my shoulder. They moved some of my muscles down so that my arm could be fully weight-bearing."
Kirstie has since become a TikTok star, as her profile currently has over 535,000 followers thanks to her dance videos and educational Q&A sessions where she answers questions about living with a disability.
She previously spoke about how she cuts food, ties her trousers, and drives one-handed.
In another video, she spoke about how she doesn't want to use a prosthetic, telling her followers: "I don't want a prosthetic [...] I don't want a hand. And I know it might sound a little crazy, so just let me tell you why.
"Since my accident, I’ve been super confident in who I am. I know it’s not the cutest or the prettiest thing in the world, but this is who I am and I find that the more I cover it up, the more I’m going to be insecure about it."
Kristie's fans love her posts and regularly comment on her videos to praise her positivity.
In one clip, one fan wrote: "Well you're a bad***! I would have passed out and drowned I'm sure of it!"
Meanwhile, another person wrote: "You seem such a positive person, such good energy, you look great."
A third added: "You are awesome! Thanks for sharing!"
While a fourth wrote: "I'm amazed with your determination and your upbeat attitude through all of this ordeal. You go girl!"
Another added: "You are [truly] an amazing woman and a real inspiration to us all. Thanks for sharing."