At age eleven, Bonner Paddock was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors told his mother that he would be bound to a wheelchair by age fifteen. By age twenty, they predicted he would be dead.
For years, Paddock’s parents downplayed his disability. He was relentlessly bullied, a result of looking visibly different from everyone else due to his illness. However, Paddock triumphed overall and surpassed the predictions that had been made.
At 30 years old, Paddock set a goal for himself – to be the first person with cerebral palsy to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without any assistance.
He succeeded and set another goal for himself, wishing to become the first person with cerebral palsy to finish the Ironman World Championship. After a grueling two-year training regimen, he entered the competition; once again, he succeeded in beating his goal.
Paddock also recently published a book, called “One More Step”. He also operates the One Man Foundation, which raises money to help encourage children with disabilities.
Paddock explains that everything he has ever done, and everything that he will hopefully continue to do, is done with the effort of making sure that no child suffers from this disease ever again, and is therefore able to avoid the struggles that he endured.