His parents decided not to send him to a special school - a decision he said was very hard for him, but which may have been the best decision they could have made for him.
When Nick was born his father was so shocked that he left the hospital room to vomit. His distraught mother couldn't bring herself to hold him until he was four months old.
His disability came without any medical explanation - a rare occurrence called Phocomelia - and Nick and his parents spent many years asking why this cruel trick would happen to them. 'My mother was a nurse and she did everything right during pregnancy but she still blamed herself,' he said.
'It was so hard for them but right from the start they did their best to make me independent.’
'My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave the courage to learn how to swim.’
'I also got really into football and skateboarding. I totally love the English Premier League.'
Despite the risk of being bullied, his parents insisted Nick on attending mainstream school. 'It was the best decision they could have made for me,' adds Nick, who later achieved a degree in Financial Planning and Real Estate. 'It was very hard but it gave me independence.'
Nick, who was teased and bullied, had an electric wheelchair for mobility, and a team of carers to help him. 'I was deeply depressed when I was eight years old,' he said. 'I went to my mum crying and told her I wanted to kill myself.’