The Inspirational People Thread

[Ilunga]

This thread is about people who inspire you/ others.

Don't have to be famous, just that they inspire you or others. 

 

I am gonna start with a guy called Douglas Bader.

When I was a kid me y parents gave me a book about Douglas called Reach for the Sky, it has also been made into a movie. 

 

Douglas was an RAF pilot between WW1-2, he like many performed acrobatics.

He was a talented athlete playing rugby and cricket for Yorkshire, a very driven person.

After being " dared" to do a low level manoeuver, he crashed. 

 

One leg was amputated above the knee, one just below. 

 

He eventually recovered and fought to stay in the RAF, passed all the tests a pilot needed to, however because of his " disability" they refused to take him back and he entered civilian life.

 

Douglas took up golf on tin legs and was pretty good however he hated civilian life.

 

Then WW2 came along.

Pilots were among the most precious commodities at the beginning of the war/ battle of Britian.

Douglas not only successfully shot down Germans, he and Leigh Mallory came up with tactics, big wings of fighters, to shoot down the bombers en- masse. 

 

After the Brits won the battle of Britian, his tactics were a big part of this, he flew a record amount of sorties over France until he was shot down and captured. 

 

He escaped, they took his legs off him, he escaped again.

Eventually he ended up in Colditz Castle, the place the Germans put the guys who just kept on escaping. 

 

After the war he worked with men who had lost limbs, hands, feet , to help them became the best they could be.

 

This man epitomizes what I teach my son, never ever give up.

 

 

[King Heffy]

Alex Zanardi.  Won 2 CART seasons driving Indycars and was wildly entertaining, doing donuts after wins.  Also raced in F1.  After losing both of his legs due to a brutal crash, he took up handcycling and won multiple gold medals in the Paralympics as well as completing an Ironman triathlon.   Easily could have retired and lived very, very comfortably after his crash but has been even more successful in his second career.  He's also raced a modified car post-injury.

Edited July 10, 2022 by King Heffy

[nuckin_futz]

Mama Futz.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh would be a great one to mention. Father of the Microcredit(Grameen Bank) concept; which I believe he got rolling in the mid 70's.

 

Bankers laughed him outa' their offices, when he first proposed lending to the poor. Within 3 decades he'd be a Nobel Prize recipient.

[Elias Pettersson]

Mr. and Mrs. Pettersson...

[Ilunga]

32 minutes ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh would be a great one to mention. Father of the Microcredit(Grameen Bank) concept; which I believe he got rolling in the mid 70's.

 

Bankers laughed him outa' their offices, when he first proposed lending to the poor. Within 3 decades he'd be a Nobel Prize recipient.

Great example NFB.

 

This guy is a legend in my book.

I had him in mind for later post. 

 

I have read 2 of his books.

 

Creating a World Without Poverty and last year A World of Three Zeros.

 

The idea of micro credit and social business was groundbreaking for so many poor people.

 

[Ilunga]

Les Twentyman.

 

This guy is a true legend and hero to me.

For over 30 years he has devoted his life to working with at risk youth in Melbourne's western suburbs.

 

 

https://ltfoundation.com.au/

 

I was honoured to meet him, shake his hand and have a chat a decade or so ago.

 

Every year I donate some money to his foundation.

 

[Ilunga]

A person who has made an incredible impact in so many people's lives, and stood up for what he believes in is a guy called Munjed Al Muderis.

 

He first came to my attention on a radio show on Radio national called conversations. 

 

I have since bought and read his book 

Walking Free. 

 

Munjed was a surgeon in a hospital in Iraq when Saddam was still in power. 

One day in 1999 soldiers were brought in for punishment, deserters, to have their ears chopped off.

The head surgeon refused and was shot dead in front of his staff.

The rest of the surgeons reluctantly agreed except for Munjed.

He hid, then ran away.

He fled Iraq traveled as a refugee until he got to Indonesia.

He then got on a boat, people smugglers and was caught by the Australian Navy. 

 

He ended up in a detention camp in WA where the conditions were close to concentration camp like.

As an Australian citizen it shames me to have said this.

 

Anyway after fighting for the better part of a year he finally got out. 

 

Since then Munjed has gone on to be the worlds leading osseointergration surgeon.

He first worked with Australian and British veterans and has gone on to be a clinical lecturer at the Macquarie University and The Australian School of Advanced Medicine.

 

His pioneering work has made such a positive impact in so many lives across the world.

 

[StrayDog]

I have two: Jim Henson and Fred Rogers. Jim for showing us how different folk can live together in peace, and Fred for showing what true kindness and understanding can accomplish. The lessons I learned from these two when I was a child still carry through.

[RUPERTKBD]

Jim Terrion Jr.

 

https://www.thenorthernview.com/life/jim-terrion-the-million-dollar-man/
 

Quote

 

Jim Terrion Jr. lives in a silent world but he marches to his own drum.

Terrion, 52, was born deaf.

He communicates mostly by writing down what he wants to say or by using sign language. It can be a frustrating and slow process. Especially for new people he meets on the street or those who open their doors when he’s out canvassing.

That has never stopped him though from raising whopping amounts of money for charity events and causes he holds dear to him like the annual Terry Fox Run.

Terrion raised $3,963 in Prince George in pledges from the local run this month even though he was in his former home, Prince Rupert, taking part in its fundraising event. He raised money for them too.

“Jim raised $24,730.25 in 23 days in Prince Rupert,” said his proud mother, Faye.

“That brings his fundraising total to date – since he first started his walks in 1990 – to a grand total of $584,557.80. I think that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Indeed, it would be exceptional for any person but Terrion is dealing with a disability. In 1990 he walked across Canada and back, 6,300 miles in eight months, on a fundraising mission to raise awareness for people with hearing disabilities.

He continues to challenge himself every day. That has made him try even harder and set his sights even higher.

“He was walking through Saskatchewan years ago in temperatures of minus 45 degrees and the driver asked him to stop, he wouldn’t stop. He just kept on going. He always pushes himself to do more. That hasn’t changed.”

In one day, on August 7, 1990, he logged 100 kilometres. In his journal, Terrion wrote that he got up at five or six in the morning and “never stopped” until dark.

Just as on that wintry day, over 20 years ago, Terrion now has a new goal in mind.

The reporter asks him, “how much do you want to raise for the Terry Fox Run?”

He holds up one finger, smiles, and mouths the words: “One million dollars.”

He shows the reporter a tall filing cabinet where he keeps in neatly organized folders, facts, figures and letters, dated newspaper clippings of his walks, awards, and – most importantly to him – the amount of money he’s raised.

Inspired by his childhood hero, Terry Fox, who overcame adversity to run marathons across Canada and motivate people to support cancer research, Terrion is getting recognized for his fundraising efforts.

On the wall, is a framed portrait of Fox given to him by the family and Terry Fox Foundation. He also has numerous plaques, certificates and a signed picture from his friend Rick Hansen, a bronzed running shoe, a momento of his walk on behalf of the deaf community.

His most prized possession? A photo of him dropping the puck in Vancouver on Oct. 29, 2011 at a Canucks game.

“Jim was about 12 when we got him into the Jericho Hill School for the Deaf in Vancouver,” said Faye.

“We knew something was wrong. We took him first for testing and eventually our MLA in Prince Rupert stepped in and we saw a specialist in Victoria.

“When he was a young boy, people actually thought he was retarded because he could not communicate.”

Soon they knew the truth.

“We found out he has normal hearing in his outer ear, so he can hear a beeping car horn or if I clap loud enough, he can hear that. The problem is he has 95 per cent hearing loss in his inner ear which controls the speech and language.”

Terrion graduated school in 1980. He began training for his first walk in 1977, hoping to raise awareness about the many challenges facing deaf and hearing impaired people.

During his time walking and  raising money and awareness, Terrion has made friends all over the world. He shows the reporter postcards from friends in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. He can’t wait to get to Brunei, Malaysia for the Terry Fox Run Day in November 2015.

Even for him, that’s a big trip. His goal is set and he can’t wait to go. 2015 can’t come soon enough.

“I’m so proud of him,” she says, glancing around the house that speaks volumes about Terrion’s giving spirit and dauntless courage.

 

Jim has been in PG for the better part of a decade now, but I vividly remember seeing him every year in the months leading up to the Terry Fox run, walking around town with his clipboard, making sure he got everyone signed up.

 

I'm guessing that almost 600k is now closer to 750k and I wouldn't bet on him not making it to his million dollar goal.

 

Great guy. If you happen to see Jim walking around PG with his clipboard, please give.

[Ilunga]

10 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Jim Terrion Jr.

 

https://www.thenorthernview.com/life/jim-terrion-the-million-dollar-man/
 

Jim has been in PG for the better part of a decade now, but I vividly remember seeing him every year in the months leading up to the Terry Fox run, walking around town with his clipboard, making sure he got everyone signed up.

 

I'm guessing that almost 600k is now closer to 750k and I wouldn't bet on him not making it to his million dollar goal.

 

Great guy. If you happen to see Jim walking around PG with his clipboard, please give.

Thanks for posting about Jim, Rupert.

 

This qualifies as being both inspirational and a true local hero, devoted to making his community a better place.

[Ilunga]

Being a bit of a mathematics nerd I consider Eddie Woo to be an inspirational person. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Playoff Beered]

 

[Gurn]

 

[Ilunga]

Liz Murray.

 

I first learnt about Liz researching critical thinking skills. 

 

Liz was born to parents who were addicted to heroin and was homeless by the age of 15.

 

She went on to matriculate from Harvard, then went on to earn a master's degree in the Psychology of Education from Columbia University.

 

 

 

 

https://inspiremykids.com/liz-murray-from-homeless-girl-to-harvard-graduate/

 

 

[UnkNuk]

Bill Browder.

 

Bill Browder is the man who is behind the Magnitsky Act which sanctions foreign government officials worldwide who are deemed to be human rights offenders and which has been adopted in Canada and other countries.

 

An American hedge fund manager who made a lot of money in Russia before he was barred from that country because of his activism against corruption, Browder hired Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer, to investigate a fraud case that involved some of his former companies in Russia.   For his efforts, Magnitsky was arrested and imprisoned for a year before dying in prison in 2009 under suspicious circumstances. 

 

Browder could have walked away and enjoyed a very comfortable lifestyle.  Instead, he dedicated himself to getting justice for Magnitsky through his political activism.  In so doing, he has endangered his own life.

 

He has recounted his experiences in two books:  "Red Notice" and "Freezing Order".  

 

Here's a nine minute clip wherein Browder and another of his lawyers, Jamison Firestone, give a summary of the events that led to the death of Magnitsky:

 

 

[thedestroyerofworlds]

 

[UnkNuk]

"Back in 2013, Vancouver resident Andy Sward decided he wanted to trek across Canada on foot, leaving as little carbon footprint as possible, but as he started his journey in Tofino, B.C., he realized this trip was going to be so much more than a low-carbon vacation.

 

Bothered by all the trash on the side of the road, he decided he wanted to do something about it. That's when he started the Million Bottle Pledge.

 

Now on his fourth trip across the country, Andy's goal is to pick up a million bottles over the next 20 or so years. He rigged up a baby jogger with bags to store his trash, and so far he has collected over 100,000 bottles."

 

{Video that I can't copy located here:}

 

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/lifestyle/community/how-this-canadian-is-cleaning-the-countrys-roads-one-bottle-at-a-time