I've been asked different questions, by people who know of my accomplishments. Some people ask me: "Kevin, How were you able to accomplish all these great things? To this I would reply: It started first with an acceptance of who I was and the ability to access my on self-worth. There is no shortcut to success, just good old-fashioned hard work. The harder I would work and the more focused I became the more I began to realize the acceptance and appreciation from others. An above all has been the humbleness to know that with undoubting faith all things are possible.
Even though I am paralyzed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair, people who see me and don't recognize me from Fitness T.V. commercials, print media etc. are not quite as kind. For example some people may treat me as if I am stupid, physically deformed or both. Others just spew forth, disrespectful comments. One day when I was pushing my wheelchair through a crowded isle way being careful not to bump into anyone or run over their toes. I came to a spot where in order to get by I had to say to a gentleman blocking my path: "Excuse me can I please squeeze by?" To which he tartly replied: "NO F$%# YOU! Go around!" And he went back to what he was doing. I did as he instructed and found another isle to maneuver my wheelchair through to the bathroom.
If your self-image needs a makeover, take some time to look inside yourself. Ask yourself: "If I can imagine myself looking my best, what would I look like? How would I feel? How would I act? Sometimes answers don't come immediately; long time patterns and bad habits must be broken and changed. Start by seeking answers, taking small steps and growing stronger, with greater knowledge of how to refine and develop your personal strength and conditioning program so works the best for you. In all cases, I found it's best to seek out the best resources and the people who have the most expertise in the areas you are looking to improve in yourself.
I want to share with you part of my life story just to let you know that prior to becoming a world champion wheelchair athlete, I had a very difficult road to overcome. I endured a huge amount of pain overcoming low self-esteem and a jump-start to set me on my quest to come back from an explosion, one of the worst in Texas history. The explosion hurled me 300 feet through the air onto a concrete parking lot, leaving my body broken over at the chest, like you bend at the waist. Ten coworkers were dead. I was hospitalized for a year, during which time my son, Steven was born.
When I was released from the hospital with my new body that could not feel or move anything from the chest down, I soon found my marriage was paralyzed with loss of feeling as well-even after receiving a multimillion-dollar settlement for my personal injury. Just out of college married only months, I found myself in a furious divorce courtroom battle with attorneys fighting over whom the money belonged to. With no case law on the books like this, it was wide open for the lawyers to make the law as they went, and boy did they! The divorce took five years and after approximately $2.5 million dollars paid to her attorneys and mine to get the final decree stamped and sealed, leaving me broke and getting ready to file Chapter 7.
When I got out of my body cast called the turtle shell, my stomach plopped out and I felt naked without my body cast. When I looked in the mirror I didn't like what I saw. I didn't want to be seen, period. And going out in public was the last thing I wanted to do. Then I started working out with my fellow Rugby player and friend, and all of that changed. I got to where I loved working out all the time. My self-esteem changed as I started to receive increased acceptance and appreciation from others.
During this time I was lucky to have friends come around whom I lifted weights and played Rugby with before my injury. One of those people was Robert Hays. He encouraged me to get back into working out and I did. I got strong enough that we would conduct weight lifting sessions lasting 2-3 hours every M-W-F and some Saturdays we would have a marathon workout to muscle failure. With my mind totally focused on my workout, it enabled me to keep bad moments that were happening in my life off my mind. These were things I didn't need to dwell on, and focusing on my workouts and getting my body and mind in shape made me feel great.
In order to break the bonds that may be holding you back from becoming the person you want to be, you need to seek out people who can offer you encouragement rather than criticism. A person(s) who can help you, show you, instruct you, and demonstrate how you can get your life on the right path. What I started to see on my journey was the evolution and transformation of myself into the person I wanted to be. I was making strength and aerobic conditioning part of my lifestyle. This turned out to be a great blessing. I went on to become one of the top wheelchair athletes in the world. I had the great honor and privilege to represent America competing around the globe
On a visit to the White House to meet President Bush in the Oval Office in 1991, President Bush was looking at some of the pictures of me competing in the Track & Field World Championships in Europe. He commented on how I looked like I was built up like Arnold Schwarzenegger and the fact I had been visiting schools and hospitals talking about the importance of education, health and fitness. The President thought it was incredible, that I was giving my gold medals out to kids in hospitals and schools who were doing their very best to overcome very difficult and challenging situations. He asked if I would like to serve on the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports (PCPFS) since there had never been a person with a disability appointed by any President. I said: "It would be an honor and privilege to serve my country in that capacity Mr. President."
As member of the PCPFS I had a tremendous opportunity to speak to schools, organizations, associations, corporations, and various groups across America about the positive and productive impact fitness can have on our self-esteem and improving our lives. These experiences and associations with good people, helped lead me on to become one of the top inspirational, motivational speakers in America and the author of a best selling motivational book entitled There's Always A Way in which President Bush wrote the foreword.
We all face challenges and adversities at different times in our lives, that's why I believe it is important for us all to realize who we are and how important our self-esteem is in our relationship between staying healthy and fit, and learning everything we can from proper strength and conditioning skills and knowledge that will help empower us to live our dreams.
If you have questions please feel free to contact me at:
You can also log on to my web site at http://www.kevinsaunders.com/ which has a 5 minute video with actual T.V. news footage of the explosion that threw me 300 feet through the air onto the concrete parking lot, leaving me paralyzed from the chest down and 10 coworkers dead, actual footage of me racing my racing wheelchair in the Olympic stadium in Barcelona, and much more, it's action packed. You can find it on my home page. It's the one, called Videos Online.
I wish the very best to each of you in reaching your fitness goals in 2002.
Your friend in fitness & sports,
"There's Always a Way" Never Give Up!
Kevin Saunders
