This woman is an amazing inspiration to everyone who is lucky enough to cross her path. My daughter was blessed enough to have her as a teacher last year. Her story and her journey living with Amniotic Band Syndrome is too inspiring not to be heard. She has already helped so many people by sharing her story and with your help she can reach so many more!!!!

-"Hands Down! Life's BEST JOURNEY EVER. All about Mrs. Howard, how amniotic band syndrome changed my life, and my desire to use my hands as a tool to change the world!"-

News article on her
--"Ashley Howard is a kindergarten teacher at First Baptist of Augusta.

"It was my elephant in the room," she said.

Ashley Howard's hands are a little different.

"I was so sad and I just wanted to be normal and fit in so bad," she tells News 12.

She was born with amniotic band syndrome. It prevents your limbs from growing.

She always tried to hide her hands because people would tell her all the things she couldn't do.

"You could never get married, no one's going to want to marry you, you can't be a cheerleader, which is so silly but I started to believe these things," Mrs. Howard admits.

But Ashley says one day God whispered in her ear.

"I just had this realization that I could either spend my life being sad about who I was or I could decide to own who I was and not let it bother me."

It took her to almost thirty to realize, she is special, and different is good.

Ashley's using her hands as a tool and doing what she loves, teaching.

"That's what God created me to do, is to embrace these children and help them see because they'll remember, and they'll take this experience and they'll say I can do it because Mrs. Howard did it," she said.

She's not letting her physical difference hold her back.

"That's what I tell my students on the first day. I'm like, I can tie my shoes, I can cut, I can do it. It might look different than you, but that's okay."

It's something her students embrace and love about her.

"It only has like 3 fingers and they were all putting their finger down on their hand and they were like, 'can I have a high three from your little hand!?' and they were so enthusiastic and they were like you're so cool and it's just so sweet," Mrs. Howard said."--

Credits: Hands on with Mrs. Howard