– “Can you lift a box then?”
This is just one of many questions that Farmen participant Heidi Lereng (24) has been asked in a job interview. But Lereng has good self-confidence and she knows what she is good at. For the young Bergen native has never encountered anything she has not managed.
– I guess I was in over fifty job interviews for a period, but never got on. I was met with a lot of skepticism, and it has been tough at times, Lereng tells TV 2.
This autumn we can follow Lereng in this year’s season of Farmen. There she is shown that even simple conditions and heavy farm work are no obstacle for a strong woman with only five fingers.
– WORKING: The man from Bergen has a high work ethic and impresses at Farmen. Photo: Alex Iversen / TV 2
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Watch Lereng talk about what it is like to live with one hand at the top of the case.
A gentle upbringing
The 24-year-old grew up in a small community on Askøy, only 20 minutes from Bergen. There she was the youngest of two half-siblings and two full siblings.
– It was very nice to grow up on Askøy, even though it is a very small place, where everyone knows everything about everyone. But I have been lucky with those I have had around me.
Clay is born with what is called dysmeli – a condition in which one is born with deformities in the arms or legs. The condition is not genetic, and it is random who is affected by it.
– THE SIBLINGS: Heidi Lereng grew up with two full siblings. From left: Sondre Andreassen, Frida Andreassen and Heidi Lereng. Photo: Private
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– What has it been like growing up with one hand?
– It has of course presented challenges, and when you are different you of course get comments. People get curious, and when they see things that are a little strange, it creates reactions, Lereng says before she adds:
– Those who dare to ask me, they ask – and those who do not dare to ask, they stare a lot. But you get used to it.
Curiosity and staring is something Lereng has had to deal with since she was a little girl. Still, she feels that she has been spared too much.
– I do not know if my threshold for bullying and teasing is a little higher than in others, but I do not feel that I have been exposed to serious things. I have been very lucky with how the school handled the challenge with my hand, says the 24-year-old.
– ACTIVE GIRL: Heidi Lereng has never let anything stop her, and she has always been sporty and committed. Photo: Private
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Had to figure things out myself
When Lereng was little, she was involved in the Norwegian Dysmeli Association, which is an association for everyone born with dysmeli.
– At that time I traveled on trips with others in the same situation. It was very nice to be able to have that offer, she says.
– Did you receive training in how to handle everyday life in the best possible way?
– No, I have found out on my own. Everyone is different, and the Norwegian Dysmeli Association helped me to be inspired by others with the same type of problem. I got to see what they achieved, and they gave me hope to believe that you can do everything if you want to.
Although the disabled hand has brought with it some challenges, Lereng has not been treated any differently than from his siblings. She praises her parents for that.
– GOOD SUPPORT: Parents Arnstein Andreassen and May Vivian Lereng have made their daughter strong by letting her figure things out for herself. Photo: Private
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– My parents have been so incredibly good, and I do not imagine that it could have been handled in a better way.
– When I, for example, had to tie my shoes, they put me down and said that I had to be able to tie them myself. So I sat there until I found out.
Took action after 50 interviews
Creativity and problem solving have been an important part of Lereng’s everyday life. But it has not been easy to deal with situations where others set boundaries for her.
The way into the job market has not been so easy.
– I was on many job interviews for a while, and realized that I did not get a single job offer because of the hand. I got enough, and thought that now I will test them a little. I simply hid my hand – and then I moved on to the third round of interviews.
But Lereng realized that she had to show her hand at some point.
– At the third interview, I sat alone with quite a few people, and then I had to raise my hand. It became a topic right away, of course.
It ended with another rejection for Lereng.
– I got proof that it was the hand. And it says a bit, that as long as I hid my hand, it went well – but as soon as it became a topic, I did not get the job. It’s a huge problem, and especially a problem when I know I’m good at working.
– FARMEN TRIO: Heidi Lereng is used to people asking if she needs help, but at Farmen they quickly realized how handy she is. From left: Tonje Frigstad, Heidi Lereng and Amalie Lund. Photo: Alex Iversen / TV 2
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She faced the same skepticism when she applied to schools. Lereng had in fact dreamed of becoming both a prison officer and a police officer.
– I do not have a chance to get into either the Prison School or the Police Academy, due to physical requirements. It’s really hard, especially since I know I did it. I just had to find my way to do it.
– But in a way it is others who set the barrier for you, and they do not know what I am good for even, she says in despair.
New job after the Farm
Although Lereng has been met with prejudice, it has not stopped her from fighting her way into working life.
– After primary school and high school, I have really only worked my way up to where I am today. I have made sure to use all the opportunities I have been given in the best possible way, and I have been given chances that I have accepted and performed well in. I am very happy with that.
Amalie about the dishwashing meeting at the Farm: – People were pissed!
Before Lereng joined Farmen, she worked as general manager at Pizzabakeren in Bergen. Now, after the Farmen stay, she starts a new job as marketing manager in the clothing store Kontur Clothing.
– I resigned just before I went into the Farm, so I was in the notice period in there. It will be exciting to start in a new job. It will be fun to be able to vary a little between office work and creative work, says Lereng.
Weird handshakes
It is easy to become curious about how a person with only five fingers practices different things. But Lereng is creative on that front and has found his methods.
– How do you shake hands with others?
– It varies a lot. I usually analyze the person I meet before I shake hands. I have never used to speak in advance, and I usually shake hands with my right hand, which is that hand without fingers. For me it goes well, but it can quickly become uncomfortable for the person I greet.
But such reactions she thinks are completely normal, and she often gets the most pain on their behalf.
Rob has made something special at the giant cabin
– It is usually always a reaction. They often splash when they see the hand they are about to greet, and have a bad conscience. The reactions can be both “ookei …” and “sorry!”. But there is nothing to apologize for.
Tulle prosthesis and sucking hand
Lereng has had many strange reactions over the years, but she has also had a lot of fun with her hand.
– Have you ever used a prosthesis?
– No, but it was a period where I was offered a so-called decorative prosthesis. I used the prosthesis when I played football, because I was so tired that everyone greeted each other before the match – but always skipped my hand, because they would not touch it. I took a fight on the decorative prosthesis, but I took it loosely on my hand, so that when they greeted, they pulled off my hand. I had fun with that. There was complete panic, the Bergen man says with a laugh.
– Do you have any party tricks up your sleeve then?
– Yes, so I get room for the whole hand in my mouth then, so you can call it a party trick.
– CHARM TROLL: Little Heidi had to learn early on how to handle a hand without fingers. Photo: Private
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And with his whole hand in his mouth, Lereng also noticed himself as a baby.
– When I was a baby and was lying in the pram, and “everyone” was going to get in the pram and greet me, they were not met with a baby who was sitting on my thumb – I was a baby who was sitting on my whole hand, she says and continues :
– So it was often the case that when someone stuck their head into the cart, and I took my hand out of my mouth, it looked like I had eaten all my fingers. Then they jumped, she laughs.
Will be a role model
When the tough western girl signed up for the Farm, she had a special goal with the participation.
– I want to stand out as a good role model on the Farm. By joining such a reality concept, I hope I can help someone. I want to show people who have something of the same as me, that they do not have to hide it or be embarrassed.
For Lereng is not afraid to be himself on TV.
– STRONG: Before Heidi Lereng went to the Farm, she trained in several of the duel disciplines. Here she trains on an ax throw in the yard. Photo: Alex Iversen / TV 2
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– I’m not afraid to show my hand – or afraid to try something. If I can give someone out there a little extra motivation to give a little more fuck, then it would have been insanely cool.
She says that the other participants at the Farm were often surprised by everything she did.
– I often experienced that people would intervene and help me with everything possible in there, and then it is very fun to show that it goes just fine. I do not need help, she says and thanks the production company that makes Farmen, Strix, who chose to focus on her this year’s season.
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