Man born without limbs became a local legend at birth. Now, he's welcoming his own child

SOUTH JORDAN — Over 30 years ago, KSL TV met a baby named Gideon DiMeglio — a boy who was born without limbs. Now, his story has come full circle as he introduces his baby to the world. DiMeglio and his wife Brittani initially had differing opinions on having children — she always wanted them, but he took some convincing. "For a long time, I didn’t see myself like wanting to be a Dad, just for a lot of insecurities or through a lot of insecurities that came from, you know, being disabled.” Born with no arms and very short legs, Gideon DiMeglio did what he has always done: pushed through his fears. His wife's nieces helped him along, who he calls the "cutest little girls in the world." And then: "When I saw my kid, I instantly fell in love!" he said. Just like his parents, Mark and Sarah DiMeglio, did with him. They knew before his birth that their son would face challenges. It's where he got his name "Gideon" from the Biblical warrior. In 1995, Sarah DiMeglio told KSL TV that there was "no difference with any of my other kids." KSL TV followed Gideon DiMeglio to his doctor's appointment to celebrate his first birthday — and when he got a new wheelchair at Shriner's Hospital and learned to paint at age 4. Gideon and Brittany DiMeglio were married in 2019. But the pregnancy that followed proved to be a challenge. Several months in Brittani DiMeglio had severe stomach pains. "So, I went to the emergency room and they said, 'Yeah, you probably need to get your appendix removed.'" Brittani DiMeglio said. "So I had an emergency appendectomy and it was definitely an exciting time!” When it came time for CaraLee's birth, it wasn't so smooth either. “During my contractions, her heart rate would drop every single time, so I was planning on having a natural birth, but we had to do a C-section," she said. "Again, whatever you need to do to keep her safe!”

And she was born safely. When it came to naming her, the couple took inspiration from the women in their lives.

"'Cara' is the first part of her first name, which is a mix of my mom, Christy, and Gideon's mom, Sarah," Brittany DiMeglio said. "And then Lee is my grandma's middle name. (CaraLee's) middle name is Joe, which is also my middle name, which is my aunt who passed away when she was young."

Gideon and Brittani are people of faith.

"God is there for just keeping us strong when we don’t think that we are.” Gideon added, "Oh, this is actually a gift from God to be able to raise our own kids and to be trusted with the stewardship of, you know, Caralee and any future kids that we have.”

They say they also have been blessed with loving parents who are there to help with Caralee as well as their Gospel Hope Church community.

"They say it takes a village and I don’t really know that I know what that means yet, but we definitely have, I mean, it’s like beyond a village at this point, it’s like a metropolis!”

For decades, Gideon DiMeglio taught KSL viewers how to approach life's challenges and rise above them. So we, as a KSL family, say: Happy Father's Day, Gideon!

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