Kyle Maynard: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

My special guest tonight is one of today’s shining examples of the power of the heart and will over the mind.   

Kyle Maynard is an author, a motivational speaker, a mountain climber, and an inspirational leader of disabled veterans called, Wounded Warriors.

Kyle’s current assault on life is his plan to ascend the 19,340 feet to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in January of 2012.

Kyle was born March 24, 1986 with a condition known as congenital amputation that left him with arms that end at the elbows and legs that end near his knees.  His story begins as an 11-year-old that wanted to wrestle and a coach that gave him an opportunity to try.  After losing every single match his first year and most his second, Maynard, with his iron will became a very successful varsity wrestler on one of the best teams in the Southeast. Maynard won 36 varsity matches his senior year, while defeating several state place finishers and state champions during his final season.

In 2004, Maynard was named the ESPY Award Winner (Best Athlete with a Disability) and in  2009, Kyle became the first quadruple amputee to step into the cage and compete as an amateur no-holds-barred fighter.

Tonight we will talk about this ultimate challenge!

To learn more, go to these powerful links:

Sanjay Gupta Feature on Kyle Maynard

Meet Kyle Maynard

Mission Kilimanjaro

Crowdrise On-line Fund Raiser