CNN PRODUCER NOTE     Hoping to inspire others to live life to the fullest and follow their dreams, hectormanley says being a double amputee doesn't stop him from seeking new adventures or from doing what he loves, kayaking.

hectormanley, who grew up poor in El Salvador, lost both his legs at 11-years-old to a fire when he accidentally fell in a dumpster looking for food. "I spent four months in the hospital where they amputated both legs," he says. "That's when an American family doing charity work met me and adopted me."

Wanting people to think of others in need and to find it in their hearts to help others, he says he started kayaking to raise money for The Wounded Warrior Project and The Wheelchair Foundation, two charities dear to his heart. "Both charities are equally important. I have a lot of friends in the service, and my family here has a long history in the service as well. Since I can't be part of it, this is how I show support," he says. "And for the wheelchair foundation, I know how much a wheelchair can change the life of someone. I wanted to help beyond our borders and I'm planning on sending wheelchairs to Honduras and El Salvador."
- Anika3, CNN iReport producer