PHILOSOPHY

5 SPECIAL PERSON THAT I ADMIRED MOST

1. Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni Eareckson Tada was born in 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland,
the youngest of four daughters. Her father participated in the
1932 Olympics as an alternate for the United States wrestling
team and was honored as a Distinguished Member of
the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 1996.

With the example of her parents, Tada lived a very active life
all through her growing up years. She enjoyed riding horses, hiking, tennis, and swimming. On July 30,
1967, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay after misjudging the shallowness of the water. She suffered a
fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical levels and became a quadriplegic (or tetraplegic),
paralyzed from the shoulders down.

During Tada's two years of rehabilitation, according to her autobiography Joni, she experienced anger,
depression, suicidal thoughts, and religious doubts. However, during occupational therapy, learned to
paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork. She also writes this way, although
for most writing tasks she relies on voice recognition software. To date, she has written over forty
books, recorded several musical albums, starred in an autobiographical movie of her life, and is an
advocate for people with disabilities. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Eareckson_Tada)

2. Tom Whittaker
Tom Whittaker rocked conventional wisdom when, as an amputee, he
created a world first by becoming the first person with a disability to
climb Mount Everest. On Thanksgiving Day of 1979, a car accident
shattered both his legs. Emergency surgery saved his life but required
the removal of his right kneecap - and the amputation of his right foot.
Tom Whittaker’s life had changed forever but his adventures had just
begun. Nineteen years later, Whittaker made history and stunned the
world when he became the first ‘disabled’ climber ever to conquer
Mount Everest.
Tom Whittaker’s experiences have taken him on a remarkable journey
of adventure and self-discovery. He proved to the world – and himself – that the mind is more powerful
than the body. He has battled to raise awareness of diversity and the real abilities of people with
disabilities. Tom is convinced that the best way for people, no matter who they are, to achieve their
destinies is through well-defined values, self-knowledge, clear goals and the ambition and drive to
make it happen. Whittaker’s winning formula has worked for him and his teams in the most extreme
environments on Earth. (Source: http://www.tomwhittaker.com/about/)

3.Alex Zanardi
He started his career as a racing driver, but an on-track accident,
because of which he lost both of his legs, changed his life forever.
But, this didn’t stop him from being competitive, and most

5 SPECIAL PERSON THAT I ADMIRED MOST | Submitted By: Alyssa L. Gumapac

 PHILOSOPHY
5 SPECIAL PERSON THAT I ADMIRED MOST

importantly, didn’t stop him to live. This “extraordinary human-being” has an exceptional story, where
he has fought to stand up on his legs, all over again. After several years competing in F1, Alex Zanardi
suffered an accident in 2001 in which both legs were amputated. Three years later he was on the track
again driving a BMW for which he himself had adapted some prostheses. He won four World Touring
Car Championship (WTCC) victories. However, in 2007 he decided to focus his sporting efforts
on adapted cycling. The tricycle he rides has also been designed by himself and, to date, he has won
three Paralympic Golds. (Source: https://www.sportskeeda.com/athletics/the-story-of-alex-zanardi-a-remarkable-man)

4. Chris Martin
The frontman of chart-topping band Coldplay, Chris Martin,
developed tinnitus as a result of playing loud music with his
band. He had suffered from the condition, which can leave
people with a buzzing or ringing in their ears, for about 10 years
and had now started protecting his ears. “Looking after your
ears is unfortunately something you don’t think about until
there’s a problem. I wish I’d thought about it earlier.” But to this
day, he continues to bring good music in people’s lives. (Source:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/coldplays-chris-martin-reveals-tinnitus-struggle-7714805.html)

5. Marlee Matlin
An Academy Award winning actress for her leading role in
Children of a Lesser God (1986), Marlee Matlin is one of the most
successful actresses who’s deaf. She has been deaf since she was
18 months old due to a genetically malformed cochlea. She also
received a Golden Globe Award for her role in Children of a lesser.
Since receiving her Oscar, Marlee has been a character on many
TV shows including The L Word and Law & Order: SVU, and has
appeared on reality shows such as The Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars.

Marlee Matlin is an extraordinary person who didn’t give up because of her disability, but instead tried
even harder to prove no matter who you are, you can be heard. She had to overcome everything
because everything became just a little bit harder. She wasn’t given an easy life. When she was only
two years old, she had become deaf in her right ear completely and eighty percent of her left ear. She’s
had to overcome not being able to participate in many things most people could because of her
disability. She was the first deaf person ever to win the Academy Award as a leading actress. She is a
big contributor in the Starlight Children’s foundation. It helps out terminally ill kids with pain. She is
able to help the lives of thousands, and to let them know that they can overcome anything if they just
put your mind to it. (Source: https://myhero.com/M_Matlin_olympus_jhs_US_2011_ul)

5 SPECIAL PERSON THAT I ADMIRED MOST | Submitted By: Alyssa L. Gumapac