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When you tell someone they can’t do something, it often serves as a motivation to prove you’re wrong, and disabled people are no exception. Of course, that’s not the only reason they do exactly what they are supposedly not able to do. Some want to prove their abilities to themselves only, some want to set an example or help others, some do what they are good at, and some just do what they love.
Dustin Carter
Dustin Carter contracted a blood disease that cost him parts of all four limb when he was very young. In the eighth grade, he joined the school wrestling team, although no one expected him to excel. And he didn’t for a long time. But hard work and discipline paid off in his senior year. Last month, Carter represented his school at the Ohio state wrestling championships. He placed in the top 16 of his weight class. Watch Carter wrestle in this video.
Lacey Henderson
Lacey Henderson’s right leg was amputated when she was nine years old due to a tumor in her kneecap. But at her mother’s suggestion, she tried out to become a cheerleader in high school. Not only did she make the team, but she worked her way up to captain! Now she’s 18 and cheers for the University of Denver.
Eli Bowen
Eli Bowen was born in 1844 with feet attached directly to his pelvis. In other words, he had no legs. He developed strong arms doing farm work and training to start the career of his dreams. At age 13, he became a professional acrobat! His acrobatic act showcased his strength, but he was also known for his handsome appearance. Although he became wealthy, he never retired, continuing to perform until his death in 1924.
Dave Heeley
Dave Heeley was born visually impaired, but his eyesight deteriorated further until he was classified as blind in his twenties. Now 50, Heeley will take up the Seven Magnificent Marathons challenge and run marathons on seven continents in seven days. April 7th through the 13th, Dave and his sighted running partner Malcolm Carr will run in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, Santiago, Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai, Tunis, and London. Heeley is in it for his favorite cause, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
Erik Weihenmayer
Erik Weihenmayer lost his vision when he was 13 years old. He went on to become a middle school teacher, a wrestling coach, and a world-class athlete. In 2001, Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The next year, he completed the Seven Summits -the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Weihenmayer is leading others, too. In 2004 he took a group of blind Tibetans up a Himalayan peak, an adventure that was recorded in a documentary called Blindsight. (image credit: Jonathan Chester)
Ludwig von Beethoven
Ludwig von Beethoven became deaf gradually, beginning in his twenties. He considered it a great tragedy and shame, and was loathe to admit it to those around him. He was profoundly deaf by his mid-forties, but kept composing using a rod to transfer sound from a piano to his jaw.
Porter Ellett
Porter Ellett of Bicknell, Utah lost his arm in an accident when he was four years old. He became a star basketball player for Wayne High School, leading the team to the state playoffs. But that’s not all, he also plays on the baseball team and runs track, too! See a video report here.
Mark Goffeney
Mark Goffeney was born without arms, but always wanted to be a musician. He started out playing trombone, but realized his calling in playing guitar with his feet. He founded the band Big Toe in 1992. You can hear music and see videos of Goffeney’s performances at his MySpace page. (image credit: jason@seejasonsphotos.com)
John Bramblitt
John Bramblitt became blind gradually, possibly due to a seizure disorder. He didn’t realize how bad his vision had become until he was past legally blind. Bramblitt never painted before he lost his sight. He admits it “seemed a way of shoving my disability right back in the face of God, or nature, or whatever.” Now a graduate of the University of North Texas, Bramblitt is set to attend Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. A video report on his art won the 2007 YouTube Award last week in the Inspirational category.
What is most impressive about these stories of uncommon people is how common they are. The majority of the stories here have been in the news very recently. Each is one more step in changing the world’s perception of the disabled.
Comments (24)
Comment
Awesome post as always Miss C.!
posted by alanocu on 3-25-2008 at 6:41 am
I think that they are all awesome and that when I’m having a bad day, I’ll think of them and get myself right back on track. Thanks for posting this!
posted by Andrea on 3-25-2008 at 9:28 am
If you’re ever lucky enough to attend the Olympics, don’t forget the Paralympics, which follow it the next week. I used to live in Atlanta, and attended the Paralympics Opening Ceremonies in 1996. It was incredible. But the absolutely most amazing and moving part was the clever way they lit the torch… A man with no legs climbed all the way up the side of the scaffolding to the torch with his arms alone. It was graceful and fluid and such a testament to human strength. Man, I’m tearing up just thinking about it. I just googled him, his name is Mark Wellman. Check him out!
posted by Nat X on 3-25-2008 at 12:39 pm
Hey; I was always told the wrestler with no arms and no legs was named Matt.
Sorry; couldn’t resist. ;o)
Another inspiring story I heard about a while back is Rick & Dick Hoyt — Team Hoyt. Rick is severely disabled, but with his dad Dick’s help he’s been in almost 1000 races; everything from 7K runs to Ironman Triathalons. Very, very cool story.
http://www.teamhoyt.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPLCaAu_H2U
posted by Dave on 3-25-2008 at 10:43 pm
Don’t forget the drummer from Def Leopard’s only got one arm! :D
posted by Erin on 3-26-2008 at 1:40 am
They are all awesome, but the best is Beethoven, I think. Maybe because he is the most famous.
posted by Jigsaws on 3-26-2008 at 3:33 am
What about Karina Hollekim? She crashed on the rocks when her parachute didn’t open. She was told she won’t walk again… she does.
posted by Mark on 3-26-2008 at 5:36 am
This make me love to be what i am today, Thank you for your post.
posted by Ringtone download on 3-26-2008 at 6:11 am
in the beethoven thing, i think the word you are looking for is loath, pronounced like ‘both’, no ‘e’ ;)
graaaaaaaammmaaaar nazi!
posted by ian on 3-26-2008 at 7:32 am
Jeff Healey should be added to the list as number 10!
posted by Wendy on 3-26-2008 at 7:50 am
I had the privilege of hearing Erik Weihenmayer speak in 2003 and, in addition to being a great athlete, he is a talented speaker/lecturer. I left the event inspired and motivated.
He is also the author of a book called “Touch the Top of the World” and is featured in a REALLY FUNNY YouTube Video youtube.com/watch?v=7Fd97hVVD9U
posted by Ryan on 3-26-2008 at 8:34 am
And then there’s Oscar Pistorius the award-winning South African Paralympic runner a.k.a. “the fastest man on no legs” who appealed to compete in the Olympics, but was denied.
posted by iso on 3-26-2008 at 8:41 am
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Members (mental_floss) & Miss Cellania:
While I’m sure it’s been suggested to her since writing this article, I think Miss Cellania should make an addition to at least mention Rick Allen (The one-armed drummer for Def Leppard). While I’m not all that big on Def Leppard’s music, my fiancé is a Def Leppard super-freak; and I must say that from one musician to another, I really respect Rick Allen. When I was 10 years old, I started writing and playing music. The first instrument I learned to play was the drum-set. I later decided to take up stringed instruments (violin, bass, and guitar) because I actually found the drums to be too difficult. Go ahead and laugh if you will. Most people find the drums to be stupid-easy; but in the case of Rick Allen, who is now 44, continuing to play the drums became somewhat of a pipe dream after a 1984 automobile accident left him with only one arm. However, not only did Rick get back on the horse and start playing again, his determination and talent led him and Def Leppard into releasing their most successful album ever, Hysteria. In addition, their most memorable song ever, “Pour Some Sugar on Me!”, was released after the accident; meaning that their best work ever was done with a one-armed drummer.
I don’t know how the rest of you feel about it, but I feel like that’s something worth mentioning in this article. After all, Rick Allen didn’t just overcome his disability, he became even better than he was before the accident which left him disabled.
Thank you, Edward
posted by Edward on 3-26-2008 at 9:00 am
Beethoven was totally deaf when he composed his 9th Symphony (Chorale). At the premiere he was seated offstage on a stool and at the beginning of each movement he signalled the tempo to the conductor.
The story goes that after the finale the audience went wild, but Herr Beethoven was seated with his back to the crowd and didn’t know it. The concertmaster went to him and walked him onstage to see the accolades. I still get goosebumps.
Thanks, Miss C, for these inspiring stories. Makes my silly little disabilities seem pretty trivial.
posted by Doc on 3-26-2008 at 10:01 am
Edward (and everyone), I put this article together because there were so many stories like these coming across my screen just recently. I’ve gotten so many suggestions from comments and email, there will probably be a volume two eventually.
When I think of what to post about, my standard method is to put together stories that people are NOT familiar with. I sometimes forget how far back 1984 is to many of the younger readers!
posted by Miss Cellania on 3-26-2008 at 1:30 pm
Excellent list. Very inspiring. I don’t want to turn this into a political discussion, so I’ll add one person on each side of the spectrum.
First there’s FDR, who dealt with paralysis from polio while leading the free world. And more recently, Rush Limbaugh, who has lost all his hearing, yet continues to host the most popular talk radio show in America with the help of a cochlear implant.
But I have to agree that the most impressive must be Beethoven, to reach the pinnacle of music without being able to hear a single note.
posted by Ken on 3-26-2008 at 3:31 pm
I cried because I had no shoe’s …..then I met a man who had no feet……….Think about it. You sometimes feel sorry for yourself until you see someone who has it worse. I know it puts a whole different perspective on my outlook.
posted by mike on 3-26-2008 at 4:34 pm
mike-
Shoes. Not shoe’s.
posted by Pointy-Hatted Geek on 3-26-2008 at 11:32 pm
My first year of teaching I had a little girl in my class with a full prosthetic leg. (she was born with one leg that just didn’t grow and it was amputated when she was about 2) Her tenacity always amazed me. She would jump, run, do cartwheels, etc. on the playground, without a second thought. To her, it wasn’t a disability, she just had one fewer leg than the rest of the world. Just an amazing kid. She’s one of the ones that I’ll always remember.
posted by greenstrawberries on 3-27-2008 at 4:13 am
Forgot about Janek Mela
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janek_Mela
posted by kal on 3-27-2008 at 7:29 am
And Mark Inglis – climbed Everest with no legs. What a legend
posted by alex nz on 3-27-2008 at 8:44 pm
They are very strong. Exceptionally strong humans.
posted by M.Kerjman on 5-15-2008 at 11:17 pm
Excellent post…Cellania i want to clap for you did real hard to arrange this post…Excellent Excellent Excellent
posted by Shazia on 8-14-2008 at 2:23 pm
My best friend in college had a full prosthetic leg..inside her own leg! Instead of amputating, her doctors performed an experimental surgery where they replaced her cancerous leg bones with metal rods, and then removed her growth plates so that her (missing) legs wouldnt attempt to grow. It worked–her leg looks completely “normal” except for a gigantic scar running down the side, but is in reality a flesh-covered prosthetic :)
she’s really cool about it and makes up stories about the cause of the scar to people who ask…examples include “shark bite” and “struck by lightning”
posted by Brooke on 9-4-2008 at 8:33 am