A young Vancouver Island man who’s attending the University of Victoria has become a social media star.
Caden Teneycke, who is from Nanaimo but is attending business school at UVic, seems just like any other student at the school.
The only difference is, he has dwarfism and is a full blown social media influencer with millions of views.
Teneycke was born with dwarfism and a severe form of hip dysplasia. The medical road has been a long one for him, including more than 14 surgeries and constant trips to specialists in Vancouver.
But that’s not what his focus is on social media.
“With these medical struggles – and while it’s a huge part of me – it’s not the only thing about me,” he told CHEK News.
His videos cover a range of things, like study, travel, and everyday life.
“People who watch my videos, they can relate to the homework, they can relate to the late study grinds,” said Teneycke.
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@officialcadenteneycke Today I learned C stands weigh as much as me… #lifestyle #trend #student #victoria #uvic ♬ Cloudy Sky – Tundra Beats
After he started posting videos, his friends encouraged him to show people what the world feels like from his perspective.
“A day in the life of an 18-year-old at 3-and-a-half feet tall,” he says at the start of each video.
Those videos quickly climbed to millions of views.
Teneycke started making videos when he was 11 years old, challenged by his dad to stop watching so much YouTube, and start making videos instead.
“At that time, 11-year-old Caden definitely had no idea that this is what that conversation would lead to, and make me where I am today,” he said.
With just under 1-million followers on TikTok alone, the second year business student is always on the move.
“There’s no balance at all – it’s constant go-go-go,” he said.
At his core though, Teneycke is just like every other young person making their way through the world.
While showing CHEK News his home, he pointed out a table that “you’d play beer pong with, with the legs cut in half.”
“I’m not necessarily looking for sympathy,” he said. “You can be empathetic, you can understand what I’ve gone through, but it’s not what defines me. There’s other things that are a part of me and at the end of the day I’m just an average 18-year-old kid.”
@officialcadenteneycke Today was definitely a busy one!! #trend #lifestyle #student #uvic #viral ♬ Wow. – Instrumental – Post Malone
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