Erik Weihenmayer

Erik Weihenmayer Speaks with HealthCorps Students
 

HealthCorps recognizes that the health of the mind is just as important as the health of the body. Good nutrition and physical fitness create a positive mental outlook, but mental resilience is often necessary to achieving good nutrition and physical fitness. Mental resilience workshops are incorporated throughout the HealthCorps curriculum by promoting self-esteem, enhancing decision making and communication skills, fostering healthy relationships, and setting long-term goals.

Erik Weihenmayer understands mental resilience and physical fitness. He was born with a degenerative eye disorder that left him blind at the age of thirteen. Determined to rise above this disability and lead a fulfilling and exciting life, he is the only blind person to have climbed the "Seven Summits," the tallest peak on every continent. He has scaled the 3,000 foot rock face of El Capitan, skied down the tallest peak in Europe, and scaled Mount Everest. He is the author of two books, Touch the Top of the World, and The Adversity Advantage. His trip up the north side of Mount Everst with blind Tibetan teenagers, is the subject of the acclaimed documentary feature film Blindsight.

On March 4th, 1,000 students from nine HealthCorps schools in New York packed the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathmatics High School auditorium to hear Erik speak about dreaming big, then working through adversities to make a mark on the world. The students had read Erik's Touch the Top of the World beforehand. Blindsight, which premiered that evening, is about blind Tibetan teenagers who, with the assistance of an enlightened school and plenty of inspiration, overcome huge obstacles and are now making major contributions to their homeland.

Erik's message to the students was similar to that of the film: "Inside each of us is something I only describe as a light, which has the capacity to feed on adversity, to consume it like fuel. By tapping into that light, every frustration, every setback, every obstacle becomes a source to power our lives forward. The greater the challenge, the brighter the light burns. Through it, we become more focused, more creative, more driven, and can even learn to transcend our own perceived limitations to bring our lives more purpose and power."

Erik has given a similar presentation to HealthCorps students at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. At both schools, Erik's presentation was so inspirational, students followed him out of the school asking him follow-up questions. HealthCorps appreciates all Coordinator Samata Kamireddy did to make this event possible. To learn more about Erik Weihenmayer, visit www.touchthetop.com.