He's been an actor, cheerleader and he's currently training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro -- all without legs.

At 2 feet 7 inches tall, Spencer West has spent his life redefining what people think is possible, including his doctors, high-school bullies and even the people who love him most. But for West, navigating childhood on his hands instead of legs wasn't nearly as difficult as figuring out his life purpose, a dilemma all of us face.

What makes West extraordinary is not simply that he overcame his physical challenges, but his selfless decision to dedicate his life to speaking for other people facing their own struggles. And he says he owes it all to a precocious little girl in Kenya.

Born with sacrel agenesis, an abnormal development of the spine, West had his legs amputated below the pelvis at age five after doctors told his parents, Kenny and Tonette, that he'd never be able to walk. Now 30, West says he didn't mourn the loss of his legs because they never worked to begin with.

"To me I never had anything taken away," he says with an easy smile, adding he tried to wear prosthetic legs at the encouragement of his doctor but soon ditched them because he looked like a Transformer and got around much quicker on his hands. "It seemed silly to me. It felt like a lie. People knew that I didn't have legs. Why would I pretend like I do?"

West's upper body strength is herculean. He can get down a flight of stairs on his hands quicker than most people can with their legs, and he's currently in the best shape of his life thanks to a trainer who's helping him and friends David Johnson and Alex Meers get ready for Kilimanjaro. He thinks he'll be able to use his wheelchair to get up portions of the mountain, and climb the rest of the way on his hands or with the help of his friends. The purpose of the June 2012 feat, he says, is to raise $500,000 for Free the Children's sustainable clean water program in East Africa.

"I think it would be really cool to show people that I can redefine what's possible," he says. "I don't want to just do it for me; I want to do it for the incredible people of Kenya."

A motivational speaker for Me to We, an arm of Free the Children, West is a man in demand. He does at least one speech every day at elementary and high-schools or corporate offices all over North America and his travel schedule leaves little downtime, but he's always got a smile on his face and a joke at the ready.

Watch Interview With Spencer West at Free the Children's We Day

But life hasn't always been so busy or bright for West.

Raised in Wyoming, West studied journalism and communications at university in Utah and then moved to Arizona. Jobs were slim so he found himself employed at a salon and spa. He worked his way up the chain, but despite having everything he thought he wanted -- a great job, cool car, house with a pool -- he was miserable.

"I wanted something that was more meaningful and did more for society," he says. "I really struggled for four years. I literally just existed."

Not long afterward, West's friend and mentor Reed Cowan invited him on a Me to We trip to Kenya to build a school. He flat-out rejected the offer at first but called Cowan back a few days later to say he was in.

"I thought, what have I got to lose? I need to do something. I need to take a risk," he says, adding it was a last-minute decision that changed the course of his life.

When he arrived in March 2008, the nearly 200 schoolchildren took a special liking to him. They asked through a translator if he was a doctor, what his religion was and where were his legs? Then one little girl uttered something West will never forget.

"I didn't know that things like this happened to white people."

West says the girl's statement made him realize how fortunate he was to grow up in a country with access to healthcare and doctors who could help him. If he had been born in Kenya, his fate would've been different.

"It made me realize that there was value in my story," he says, adding his friend Cowan had been urging him to become a motivational speaker for years, but West didn't think his story was special enough.

Going back to the U.S. and his job at the spa was difficult, West says. "Everything that I saw and experienced just felt like an injustice to me." A few months later, he saw that Free the Children was looking for a motivational speaker. In late July 2008, he landed in Toronto.

While he says adults are more reserved, schoolchildren don't hold anything back when asking him questions. The three he answers after nearly every talk are: Where are your legs? Can you drive a car? How do you go to the bathroom?

He answers the last question in his book, 'Standing Tall.' "I understand the curiosity, but let me say this once and for all: All my parts are intact and I do everything everyone else does just fine, thank you very much."

West says he owes a lot to Kenya. Not only did it make him grateful for the life he has, but it helped him understand what he was meant to do with that life. "Africa helped me find myself," West says, and now he's working day in and out to say thanks.

For more information about West's fundraising efforts or to donate, visit freethechildren.com/redefinepossible.