Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 30 – A Man Named Kevin
Good morning, guys. Last week I got an e-mail from one of the guys on JP’s site. His name is Michael and he goes by the screen name of “RedLefty.” He wrote to me about a guy that works out at his gym and who proved to be a true motivation for him. He suggested that I take the topic and apply the Mahler touch, but frankly, I could not do better than Michael did except to add my thanks to him for sending this to me.
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Kevin Saunders (
www.kevinsaunders.com) works out at the same gym as I do, and usually at the same time. It's a tiny gym, so we sometimes chat a little and watch each other's workouts. Kevin was paralyzed from the chest down in a massive grain elevator explosion in 1981 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was a federal inspector for the USDA, and on that day in 1981 he lost 10 coworkers and friends in the massive blast (called the worst in South Texas history). He was thrown over 300 feet onto a concrete parking lot,
and was in a coma for weeks. He says he could still hear, though, and remembers the visits of his wife and young son, making him determined to never give up in his recovery.
Less than 4 years after the accident, Kevin was already a world class paralympic athlete, competing all over the world. He was the best all-around wheelchair athlete in the world from 1989 to 1992, winning multiple gold medals in the pentathlon, and won medals in the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics.
He then really began to use his platform and visibility to inspire and educate others. Kevin was the first physically disabled person appointed to the President's Council on Fitness and Sports, serving under President George H. Bush. Shortly after Clinton's inauguration, the new president selected all-new members for the council... except one. Kevin Saunders was the only member reappointed to serve on the council under President Clinton. Kevin's work with Chairman Arnold Schwarzennagar throughout this period helped reach millions of people across America with information and tools for healthy
living.
I still get to see Kevin a few times a week at the gym, often with his always-smiling wife Dora. He still has his rough times, and he's had some pretty serious injuries over the years that have left him unable to exercise for months at a time. Yet he always, always, always, comes back, works hard and gets himself back into incredible shape. He's currently on a tour across America to help the fight against obesity and just completed wheeling from Canada to Mexico, crossing over the border a few weeks ago. His tour's
not done, though, as there are dozens of more cities on his list to visit.
Kevin never pushed his story in my face -- in fact, he never mentioned it. He was just gone one day, and when I asked where he was, the trainer told me about his tour. All I knew was that this guy in the wheelchair was the hardest worker in the gym that I'd ever seen. Now that I know him better, all I have to do is picture his face when I want to skip a workout, or even another set of bulgarian split squats. [img]smile.gif[/img]
He has done so much incredible work with only 25% of his body functioning properly. Most of us have close to 100% functional ability... what will we choose to do with it?
--Michael (RedLefty from JP’s site)
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Guys, I encourage you to go to the man’s web site and take a look around. What an amazing story and what an amazing man. Thanks, Michael.
In Fitness & Friendship,
Mahler