Before yesterday I was vaguely aware of Jamie Andrew and his story. He was that guy who had been stuck on a French mountain for days and had to be dramatically rescued. I knew he had lost his hands and feet to frostbite, he did 'things' for charity and did the rounds as an after dinner speaker.
Yesterday I attended a workshop and seminar where he was one of the speakers. Wow, wow, wow!!! If you ever get the chance to hear this guy, go!
Yep, he was an experienced climber who had a tragic accident that resulted in him needing both hands and both feet amputated. His sheer determination and will to not only live but live life to its fullest is moving and inspiring. Each day he would set himself a small challenge to learn to do something for himself again. Sometimes it would take him all day to achieve something as simple as brushing his teeth. But each day he set and achieved a new goal.
I sat there hanging on every word, marvelling at how he learned to walk again with his new legs and how he persuaded his prosthetitist to create the world's first prosthetic climbing hands. I wasn't surprised that he was climbing again (proper ice climbing!!) or skiing (cross country and downhill) or had sailed the North Atlantic in a boat crewed by amputees. Or that he started running, working his way up to completing the London Marathon. By the time he said he had completed an Ironman I was just so humbled. He finished his talk by juggling with 3 balls. Seriously!
If he can do all that with no hands and no feet, then I've got nothing to complain about. A truly inspirational man
