“Never allow any obstacle or adversity to define who you are.” Chris Mitchell
Today, I am proud to announce the first “Celebrating Your Life” award. I created this award when I heard the remarkable story of Chris Mitchell. What he has overcome is astounding and truly inspirational.
Chris’s mother was exposed to the German measles which caused Chris to be born with several imperfections. He was born with cataracts which resulted in him being legally blind, a constricted aorta, and with some of his intestines resided outside of his body. When he finally started to talk, his severe speech impediment was evident.
In addition to his physical challenges, he also had mental challenges including a verbally abusive father. He was diagnosed with ADHD. His ADHD contributed to his struggles and setbacks including being expelled from high school and college.
He overcame these obstacles. He convinced an internet provider to institute a college internship. After the semester the company offered him a part-time job even though they were not hiring at the time. In spite of his being legally blind, he has done a variety of jobs including radio announcer and web designer.
As an adult, Chris had an ischemic stroke to his spinal cord which took away his ability to walk, stand or even feed himself. This was his biggest challenge especially because he was engaged to be married. With the help of his fiance (now wife), he fought hard to regain his ability to feed himself, the ability to walk again and try to get back his independence. He has written an autobiography and he now inspire others to conquer their challenges.
It has not been an easy life. Chris has asked himself, “WHY ME?” However, he never gave up, he figured out how to move on and to triumph over his obstacles. He found hope in his faith.
In Chris’s words, “God has a reason why he allowed this to happen in my life and if I search for the answer while allowing God to guide my steps, I knew I will find it in time. It took me years of searching and contemplating, but I now know that every one of my imperfections were given to me for a very special reason – and that is to make a positive difference in other people’s lives. Today every health issue I faced as a child has given me the ability to both be empathetic and connect with people I meet who have failing health challenges or disabilities. Today I use all the trouble that my ADHD and/or stubbornness got me into to mentor young people. Using those experiences, I show them that we all make mistakes. I also share with them that regardless of the size of our mistakes, those bad decisions do not have to define who we are.Today I use the struggles I faced as I fought to get my life back after my ischemic stroke to my spinal cord to inspire others to overcome any adversities in their lives.”
If you want to know more about Chris, you can checkout his website: https://imchrismitchell.com/
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