The blind leading the seeing
Extreme athlete Bobby McMullen encouraged students to live life to the fullest and spoke about the importance of relying on the help of others during Common Hour on Wednesday in the TSC Ballroom.
McMullen, who is a downhill mountain bike racer and champion alpine skier, is a little different from most athletes. What separates him from them is that he has had Type 1 diabetes, lost 80 percent of his vision, received two organ transplants and had open heart surgery, as well as many other intense surgeries. He has broken more bones than he could count.
“I’m like a cockroach,” McMullen said. “Nothing can kill me.”
McMullen spoke about overcoming adversity through mild and difficult challenges.
“No matter what happens, you’re going to survive, and when you think you’re facing the worst of it, there is always something that could make it a little bit worse, a little bit harder, and I think we’re at our best sometimes when we are faced with those difficulties because then we again have that choice of, ‘Do I change who I am, or do I become that person that no one wants to be around?'” McMullen said.
McMullen later discussed in detail how he chose to live his life 10 percent better each day.
“I don’t know if this is it, but if it is, I’m going to make it count,” he said.
Talking at length about living life to the fullest and putting in the extra effort to make each day count, McMullen asked the following question:
“What if we as a whole, what if individually, you did something and you stepped up your game a little bit, step it up 25 percent or even 75 percent, what could be accomplished?” he asked.
This question hit student Dylan Phillips, a junior majoring in international business.
“It’s amazing how you can come back from anything I guess, and I don’t know live your life… not necessarily like it’s your last, but just to like, live it well and be in the moment,” Phillips said.
“You don’t know the day that is going to be your last day, so just live life to the fullest,” said Mady Dalley, a freshman studying psychology. “I thought that was really inspiring.”
Mcmullen moved his speech from living life each day to the fullest to family and friends who have helped him throughout his life and the help that he received.
Being blind, McMullen had to rely on others since he was 29. He attributes a large amount of his success to his parents, family and friends who have helped him get to hospitals, restaurants and even down mountains.
“There are people that value you and want to help you,” he said. “You need to believe that because it’s true, and unless you try, and if you remained paralyzed for the fear of asking, that’s a life lost to live in fear.”
“I think it’s interesting that his parents were his heroes, his parents supported him through everything,” Phillips said. “It is just incredible that his story, that his parents and his friends were so supportive of him.”
Many of the observations McMullen has made throughout his life about himself and others include the idea that fear is a contributing factor to many people not being themselves and not giving 110 percent to life.
“Being afraid of things keeps us from doing things you don’t know until you try, because you’re going fail a whole lot more than you’re going to succeed, but you’re going to have so many successes that are going to be so shining,” McMullen said.
McMullen keeps a positive attitude about life.
“It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do with it,” he said.
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