EDUCATORS WITHOUT BORDERS
"A lot of academic don't care about solutions, they first want to write about problems."
- Prof. Anna Hunter
The Marathon of Hope (Part VI)
By Prof. Talaat I. Farag
No one is immune from having a health crisis at some point in her/his life journey. Babies may be born with major congenital anomalies, children in the pre-school age may suffer from autism, accidents may occur at any age, and with increasing life expectancies, many diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's are much more common today. The first article of this series presented a countdown of eight inspirational stories of heroism over debilitating physical ailments. The following real-life stories illustrate the remarkable achievements of different people suffering from varying health problems and serve as examples of how crises can be overcome. The extraordinary achievements of the Canadian runner Terry Fox and American cyclist Lance Armstrong were featured in the January 2007 issue. They have become some of the most prominent symbols of battle against disease in the modern age. In this sixth part of the series, we present the stories of seven heroes who have overcome their various medical problems.
Story Number One
Miraculous Turnaround After Afghan Axe Attack
Trevor Greene, the reserve officer with Vancouver's Sea Force Highlanders after a meeting with village elders north of Kandahar, Afghanistan , removed his helmet as a sign of respect. A young villager ambushed his head with an ax, leaving him in a coma and near death in March 2006. Doctors told her fiancé Ms. Lepore that he will be mentally incapacitated and suggested that she move on with her life. Two and a half years later, he has confounded all expectations not simply by surviving but by gaining the ability to talk and minimal use of his arms. When asked about his progress, Greene responds: "Doctors said I would die. That I would never come out of the coma. I distrust what doctors say. I know it is not true. I will walk." his story was detailed in Peace Warrior, a documentary directed by Sue Ridout on Canadian station CTV. Before the attack, he was a formidable athlete and a successful author. Today, he is accompanied by his fiancé who never left his side and after a trying physical and emotional period, Greene is now focused on being a family man. To watch segments from the film Peace Warrior, click here (photo: Darryl Dyck/Globe and Mail).
Story Number Two
Bionic Men Debut in Edmonton
Rob Anderson, the thirty year old man from Alberta who lost his left arm in a helicopter crash 2 years ago was able to move his fingers up and down for the first time on his new bionic arm prosthesis at Edmonton's Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. The prosthesis is worth $85,000
The wildfire ranger with Alberta's forestry division lost his arm above the elbow and his left leg in the crash southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta on July 3, 2006.
On March 11, 2008, Anderson and Larry Hayes-Richards, a 62-year old amputee and veteran from Edmonton were operated on. In this remarkable advancement in microsurgery and technology, their nerves were basically rewired with the bionic arm, and the prostheses were attached to the muscles.
Story Number Three
Blind Paralympic Skier Shatters Expectations
Brian McKeever a 29-year old Canadian Nordic
skier lost most of his sight to an autosomal dominant genetic eye disorder named
Stargardt that was passed to him from his grandfather and father. He lost most
of his sight by age 18 and now he is 90% blind. A resident of Canmore, Alberta,
He dreams to
be the world's first Paralympics athlete at a winters Olympics in 2010.
Races on the
World Cup in both the able-bodied and para-nordic circuits. McKeever scored big
Two-time gold and silver medallist at Paralympic Winter Games in
He said his peripheral vision is ok for spatial relations, what he described as "good blindness." He made history last year by being the first Canadian athlete with a disability to sky at the World Nordic Championships. He finished 24 in the 15 km event and said "actually now I am 21 because of positive drug tests. he uses a guide his older brother Robin, a former national team skier.
Story Number Four
Legless
South African Sprinter Challenges the World
Story Number Five
Limbless Man Motivates the Able-Bodied!
Most schools invite guests who have succeeded academic or occupationally to speak to their students. These invitees often captivate pupils and entice them to take education serious, get involved in activities, or simply find a calling. Nick Vujicic is one such speaker who has traveled the world entertaining audiences of students with his anecdotes and experiences. But what is Nick's claim to success, you might ask? Quite simply, he has gone about his entire life without limbs! Born to a Serbian family in Melbourne, Australia, he was limbless from birth, missing both arms at shoulder level, and having one small foot with two toes protruding from his left thigh. While his parents were initially distraught, the infant quickly began adapting and acclimating in a way they never expected.
Vujicic's life has always been filled with difficulties and hardships
from being unable to attend a mainstream school to basic tasks like
brushing his teeth or climbing a flight of steps. Once Nick was
admitted to school, he learned to write using the two toes on his
left "foot," and a special device that slid onto his big toe to
grip. He also learned to use a computer and type using the so-called "heel and
toe" method, designed especially for him. Remarkably, Nick can throw
tennis balls and answer the phone.
At an early age, his struggles with being accepted in society had
him pondering suicide. A religious turn helped Nick through this
period and he emerged at 17 vibrant and driven. He began giving
talks and speeches about his experience and his life, eventually
setting up a non-profit, Life Without Limbs. Today Nick is a
college graduate with a degree in Accounting and Financial Planning,
motivational speaker, an avid traveler and a notable celebrity. His
speaking trips have taken him to
four continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America),
over twelve countries, and brought him to over two million people face-to-face.
His first book, due for release in 2009 is to be called No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Nick has also been the topic of a DVD, Life's Greater Purpose, which features a brief documentary about his home life, and how he does regular things without limbs. The second part of the DVD was filmed at his local church in Brisbane, and was one of his first professional motivational speeches. His first major US television interview, featured on 20/20 (ABC) aired on March 28, 2008 and he later appeared on a BodyShock documentary entitled "Born without limbs."
Story Number Six
Erika Heller, the 31-year-old Nation Builder 2008
She serves as a role model for other cancer survivor battling
disease with her fairytale wedding last spring, she provided a message of hope
for cancer victims everywhere. Erika Heller was diagnosed with colorectal cancer
more than three years ago at a time when she was just starting out in
life – she would go on to become a junior buyer at HBC later that year - when
she received that grim diagnosis. One doctor told her that she had six months to
live. Yet Heller defied that prognosis, despite the growing and spreading
malignancy. Yet the journey has not been easily as she's had more chemotherapy
rounds that her age–32. Despite this, Heller has succeeded to fight this terrifying disease and
built her will and that of others along the way. As a highly committed
and visible volunteer spokesperson and model for the non-profit organization
Look Good, Feel Better, Erika has worked tirelessly to raise awareness
of the need for early detection and preventative health care. She spreads her
message through charity work and by meeting women with the same disease. Heller
was honored in 2008 with the prestigious public service accolade, the Nation Builder Award
given by the Globe and Mail. She recently got married in a wonderful and
touching ceremony that inspired and captivating many of her admirers those who
have sought her guidance and encouragement.
Story Number Seven
Big Toe: The Armless Guitarist and Online Sensation
Mark Goffeney, a native San Diegan has been wowing audiences for more than a decade with his unusual skill and breathtaking performances. Born without arms in 1969, Goffeney, who is better known as "Big Toe" took up the guitar as a hobby and soon developed a way to play it with his feed, an extraordinary accomplishment because of the intricacy of the instrument and the dexterity needed to play it. Goffeney has since become a sensation in his city of San Diego and worldwide, even garnering an Emmy Award in 1998 for his part in a Fox network commercial called "Feet." Refusing to be seen as less than normal, Big Toe developed his talent and drew the attention of charities, becoming a poster child for the Variety Club and the March of Dimes. By 1981, Goffeney had contributed to raising over 6 million dollars for children’s charities. Mark now tours nationwide with his self-titled rock group Big Toe Band. More recently, several videos of Mark playing on San Diego streets have made their way onto Youtube.com and registered tens of millions of hits. Big Toe's newfound popularity and celebrity online has catapulted him into internet icon status.
Other Articles in this Series:
Talaat I. Farag. "The Marathon of Hope: How to Conquer Any Health Crisis," The Ambassadors Magazine. Vol. 8, Issue. URL: http://ambassadors.net/archives/issue18/educators.htm
Talaat I. Farag. "The Marathon of Hope (Part II): Learning from those who conquered disease?," The Ambassadors Magazine. Vol. 9, Issue 1, URL: http://ambassadors.net/archives/issue19/educators.htm
Talaat I. Farag. "The Marathon of Hope (Part III): Learning from those who conquered disease?," The Ambassadors Magazine. Vol. 10, Issue 2, URL: http://ambassadors.net/archives/issue22/educators.htm
Talaat I. Farag. "The Marathon of Hope (Part IV). "The Wheel-Chaired celebrities."
Talaat I. Farag. "The Marathon of Hope (Part V). "The Marathon of Hope (Part V). Lessons from Celebrities with Down Syndrome
Prof. Talaat I. Farag, MD, FRCP, FACP, FACMG is a former adjunct professor at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is the founder of The Ambassadors Research Foundation in 1998. Email: tfarag@dal.ca.
