This is the amazing moment a model with cerebral palsy overcame his fear of swimming on his own.
Damion Gross, 20, beamed after managing to paddle a short distance in a pool in West Palm Beach, Florida, with the assistance of an inflatable tire.
Before starting he told viewers that it was his first time swimming alone and while he was scared he might ‘drown’ he would persevere.
He explained: ‘Having cerebral palsy, it’s really hard to swim by myself, usually I’ll have someone help me swim but this time I wanted to do it all on my own.’
Rolling onto his stomach, Gross then kicked his legs and used his arms to propel him around the pool in the short video.
After reaching a certain point he stands-up with a giant smile, professes ‘I did it’ and after clapping with joy adds, ‘I’m happy.’
The clip has been seen over 40,000 time since Gross posted it online, with viewers praising him for being so candid and giving a voice to people with disabilities.
Damion Gross, 20, shortly before his first attempt at swimming without assistance (above). He admitted to being scared of the ‘drowning’ before starting
Gross then rolled onto his stomach in the Florida pool before paddling with his arms and legs (above). In no time at all his doggy paddling turns to a more eloquent breast stroke
In the post that he shared on Monday, Gross wrote: ‘I finally faced my fear I can’t believe I actually swam on my own.’
During the clip, fans were impressed by the determination that the Washington D.C. native showed in the pool.
As Gross rolled over onto his stomach, something he normally would have done with assistance, he started to doggy paddle before then turning it into breast stroke.
Social media user Malik wrote: ‘You’re so positive, everything has been going wrong all day for me but this made everything seem trivial. Keep posting man you’re a beacon of positivity.’
Nate Waskey added: ‘Amazing bro. What a true inspiration, keep going!’
Zack wrote on Twitter: ‘Way to go bro!! Conquer your fears and you will have more self esteem than ever! Nice going!’
‘It made me cry,’ Sandy McMillan added, along with Mark Julian who posted, ‘Good for you keep kicking butt’
Shortly after paddling (above) he would then stand-up and beam with pride for being able to overcome his fear
Gross (above) is a model and despite only joining social media in March has already gained tens of thousands on followers. He hopes to become a role model for the ‘disabled community’
Gross explained that he only joined social media in March but since then has been determined to ‘inspires others in my community,’ he told Yahoo. ‘The disabled community.’
He added: ‘Social media had never seen anybody like me before. We don’t have a lot of spokespeople out speaking about disability.’
Gross (above) describes himself as a social media influence, model and actor. Online he has been praised for giving a voice to others within the disabled community
Gross has cerebral palsy, which is a group of disorders that affects individuals differently.
It can affect the way a person moves, how they maintain balance and posture, and in other ways too, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gross explained that there aren’t many other people online with cerebral palsy who are as ‘confident in their body’
‘I’m very transparent. I’m very authentic. I always speak my mind,’ he told the site.
Speaking about his social media success, where on Instagram alone he had over 52,000 followers and 62,000 on Twitter, Gross believes his work could change the way he and others view disability.
He added: ‘This could change my life and change other peoples’s lives. So that’s why I just keep going.’