The world is full of challenges and the biggest obstructions that come in life are the ones that stem from within. For some it is crippling anxiety, for some, it is the genes of depression being carried on and then there is a huge portion of individuals that are struck upon by a disability. It could be autism or a syndrome, but it is something that vividly holds their growth back in the early years of their life, and if not grown out of that particular disability – then it sticks by them their entire life. However, not every drawback is a reason not to look forward. It is how we choose to fight beyond our ailments and the obstructions in life that determine who we are and who we want to be. Today, the world is full of possibilities and someone with a disability that to their parents, loved ones or society may seem like a drawback – might actually be the very silver lining on the cloud that propels to them to be greater than the average human being and to skyrocket into eternal fame.
Here we have assorted 5 very famous people that have never let anything in the world stop them and once they had found their purpose in life, they did not wait to see what people would say about their ambitions – they went out there and achieved it.
1. Armani Rade’ Williams
One of his most famous sayings is “Tell me I can’t so I can show you that I can.” The 18-year old racer from Grosse Point, Michigan, is one of the few openly autistic drivers in NASCAR. Despite a lot of doctors telling him his goal of making it in the sport was too far-fetched to become a reality, he’s proven them wrong. Very wrong. Not only is Armani Rade’ Williams the first NASCAR driver with autism in history, but he has also had 18 wins and won 2 championships. His parents were extremely supportive of him when he first realized that he was God-gifted with driving and from a very young age, he has always made sure that even if his sensory abilities come in the way of his daily life – Armani will research and find out everything he can on his own to never lack behind.
2. Michael J. Fox
We all remember him as the protagonist of “Back to the Future”. What you may not know about him was that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 when he was only 29 years old and his career was in full success.
Naturally, a lot of people advised him to leave the stage life but he never gave up on being an actor. His illness never stopped him from living his heart out. Obviously, in the very beginning, it wasn’t easy to accept the illness and he suffered from depression and alcoholism but in the last decade he never stopped working and his foundation raised $233 million for Parkinson’s research.
3. Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi was a professional racer in the F1 but after a couple of years, he suffered an accident in 2001 that led to both of his legs being amputated. That never stopped him. It may seem so, but it didn’t. Who can bound a pure spirit? Because 3 years after the incident, he was back burning rubber on the track by driving a BMW for which he himself had adapted some prostheses.
He became a champion in so many events afterward. He won four World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) victories, but in 2007 he shifted his focus to adapted cycling. He won three Paralympic golds through the tricycle he designed by himself.