Sometimes life throws huge challenges our way, whether it’s a deadly illness or having to survive with no job or family to support you. These following 15 amazing people had unbelievable obstacles to face but overcame them and went on to do amazing things. Some of them you’ve heard about, like J.K. Rowling, and some of them you haven’t heard about. But, one thing’s for sure—they’re all truly inspiring and we could learn a thing or two about perseverance from them.
15 Martha Mason
You know those days when you’re feeling a bit under the weather, so you decide not to do your homework or study? Well, this story will make you feel like you have no excuse for skipping classes or putting your homework aside, unless it’s life-threatening. Martha Mason was a polio victim that lived the majority of her life in an iron lung, an immobile 800-pound tube. But, that didn’t stop her from graduating high school as valedictorian and earning two college degrees at the top of her class. Custom-built intercoms allowed her to connect to her school and hear the lectures. On top of that, Martha was able to write a book (a memoir) and maintain a strong connection to her church and community. You can watch the trailer for her documentary here.
14 J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling’s life is a true example of a rags-to-riches story. The author of the beloved Harry Potter series had a pretty tough life before her first book was published. Her first marriage ended in divorce after just 13 months and she was left to take of her baby daughter on her own. She also struggled with clinical depression and was on welfare during this time. Later, J.K. Rowling would go on to say in her famous Harvard commencement speech that this was the rock-bottom that she used as a foundation to re-build her life. She eventually decided to write a book for which she had the idea while on a train to London about a boy wizard. Once it was completed, she had another challenge: getting it published. She was rejected by more than 10 publishers but eventually, Bloomsbury decided to give her a chance. Today, J.K. Rowling is known as the first billionaire author and an inspiration to millions of people.
13 Bethany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton was a surfer in Hawaii, who began winning competitions when she was just eight years old. However, tragedy struck when she was viciously attacked by a 14-foot long tiger shark, losing her left arm. Now, you’d think that she would develop a fear of the waters and stop surfing, right? Wrong. This brave girl went back to surfing just one month after her attack! She taught herself how to surf with one arm and went on to win a national surfing competition less than three months after the incident. That’s what we call dedication and passion. Hamilton wrote a book about her amazing story and was the subject of a feature film, Soul Surfer, in which she performed all the one-armed surfing stunts.
12 Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is the queen of talk shows. But, she and J.K. Rowling actually have a lot in common. For example, they both beat the odds by rising from poverty to becoming female billionaires (just so you know, less than 20% of billionaires are female). Oprah had a very rough childhood as her single mother worked long hours as a housemaid and left the young girl at home, where she was abused by male relatives and visitors. Things were so bad that Oprah tried to run away and by age 14, she was on her own. She became pregnant—but had a miscarriage—and went to live with her father. Things finally turned around for her and she excelled in school and eventually got a job as a reporter. We all know what happened since then—Oprah went on to become the richest African-American (and one of the richest people) of the 20th century, with a multibillion dollar empire thanks to her legendary talk show, magazines, and television network.
11 The Oprah Winfrey Show guest, Kelly
While we’re on the topic of Oprah, we’ve gotta say that over the years, she’s interviewed some pretty remarkable people on her talk show. One of them was Kelly, who appeared on the talk show in 2000. When she was a baby, Kelly was left on the roadside by her parents and put in an orphanage in Vietnam. In 1975, she was put on a plane headed to the United States as part of Operation Babylift, which flew children out of Vietnam to be adopted around the world. But, things didn’t go as planned and the plane crashed, killing about 150 passengers. Kelly was one of the few survivors. Eventually, she was adopted by a family in Seattle, but her challenges continued when she was diagnosed with leukemia at age 11. Kelly was a fighter, though—she overcame her illness and went on to become a successful adult.
10 Steven Speilberg
We know Steven Spielberg as one of the greatest movie directors/producers, giving us classic movies such as E.T., The Color Purple, Men in Black, and Jurassic Park. But, you may be surprised to know that he experienced a few big failures before his career began. His grades were so poor in high school that he was rejected multiple times from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. How ironic is that? The school must have realized their mistake because they granted him an honorary degree in 1994. Spielberg ended up going to California State University after high school but dropped out to begin directing TV productions in Hollywood. However, he returned to the school and graduated in 2002, after having won a few Academy Awards. Can you imagine what the movie industry would be like if he had just given up on his dream after being rejected?
9 Stamatis Moraitis
In 1943, Stamatis Moraitis immigrated to the United States so that he could achieve the “American dream.” But, the dream turned into a nightmare in 1976 when he was diagnosed with cancer and told by doctors that he had six months to live. Stamatis decided to refuse chemotherapy and go back to the place of his birth, the island of Ikaria. There, he immersed himself in gardening and his parents’ vineyard. Stamatis ended up feeling better and went on to live another 40 years, even outliving the doctors who had diagnosed him. Prior to his death in 2013, Stamatis became somewhat of a media sensation, being featured in the New York Times and in Blue Zones, a project that recognized that there are a few locations (Ikaria being one) where people live longer and healthier lives than anywhere else.
8 Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin’s childhood isn’t like many other inspirational ones, which begin with poverty and end with success. Rather, he came from a life of privilege, as his father was a well-respected doctor. However, Charles did struggle in school, receiving poor grades. It seemed like he was more interested in collecting bugs and rocks than studying his books, which led his father to tell him, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.” Boy, was he wrong. Charles’ father even sent him to medical school, but he dropped out quickly because the lectures were boring and he couldn’t watch surgeries (which were performed without anesthesia at the time, so we can understand his pain). Darwin later overcame obstacle after obstacle to get himself on the HMS Beagle journey, which served as the inspiration for his now famous Theory of Evolution that’s taught in schools to this day.
7 Cody McCasland
When Cody McCasland was born, doctors told his parents that he had an incurable disease and wouldn’t survive more than a day. That’s when he started beating the odds. Cody miraculously survived, but at the age of 15 months, he had to have his legs amputated. And when he got prosthetics, his parents were told that it would take him a while to be able to use them—he started walking the second day he got them. In fact, he didn’t just walk, he ran. Now, he dreams of being in the Paralympics and he’s well on his way, having won numerous swimming and racing competitions. Not only that, but Cody also talked when doctors said he never would because he only had one vocal cord.
6 Eminem
Eminem’s life story is well-documented in his many songs and in his semi-autobiographical movie, 8 Mile. But, in case you were living under a rock during the 2000s, we’ll fill you in. Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, was raised by a single mother who was so unstable that she frequently moved with him to find new jobs. He also says she had addiction problems, but she denies this. Eminem grew up in housing projects and was constantly bullied in school. He actually failed the ninth grade three times and dropped out at the age of 17. At that point, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he gave up on trying to become something. But, he persevered and began competing in rap battles, despite his race. Today, Eminem is known as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
5 Yossi Ghinsberg
Yossi Ghinsberg beat the odds by surviving three weeks in the Amazon rainforest, lost and alone with no supplies. Being alone and lost in say, New York AKA the concrete jungle, might also be a bit scary (especially if you’re a 10-year-old named Kevin McCallister). But, the Amazon is a different kind of jungle; one where Yossi almost drowned, faced venomous snakes and jaguars, starved, and even had hallucinations. Eventually, he was rescued by his friend and two indigenous people. His story has been featured in documentaries, books, and will be portrayed in an upcoming movie starring Daniel Radcliffe. The great thing about Yossi is that he didn’t let his experience scare him away from going back to the jungle. In fact, ten years after he was lost in the rainforest, he returned to help build an ecolodge.
4 Steve Jobs
We all have Steve Jobs to thank for our beloved iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Macbooks. Type his name into a search engine and you’ll literally find millions of articles about how inspiring he was. But, what makes him inspirational? Well, Steve Jobs was put up for adoption when he was born. His parents raised him well, but he didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. So, he dropped out of college (but dropped in on creative classes that he enjoyed). During this time, he would trade in his Coke bottles for pennies to be able to buy food. At the age of 21, Steve started Apple Computer with his friend. The company was successful, but at the age of 30, Steve was fired from it. Instead of letting the failure get to his head, he continued inventing—he created two companies, NeXT and Pixar. Eventually, Steve returned to Apple and well, the rest is history.
3 Liz Murray
Liz Murray’s story is one of determination and overcoming all the odds. She grew up in poverty; her parents were drug addicts who spent all their welfare money on drugs. Liz and her sister were left starving, often eating ice cubes and toothpaste. Her mother died of AIDS and when her father didn’t pay the rent, the family became homeless. At age 17, Liz decided to go back to high school to complete her diploma—which she did in just two years by doing a year’s worth of work each semester. That alone is pretty inspirational, but it gets even better. Liz decided to apply to the prestigious Harvard and she was accepted on a scholarship. You can watch the movie about her life, Homeless to Harvard, or read her New York Times bestselling memoir.
2 Michael Jordan
Basketball legend, Michael Jordan, really doesn’t need an introduction, does he? We all know why he’s so successful and famous, but you’ll be surprised at what he had to overcome to achieve the status he has today. Growing up, Michael was not seen as a basketball prodigy. Instead, he was just seen as a goofy kid that liked basketball. When he was in high school, he tried out for the varsity team, but wasn’t chosen because, at 5’10,” he wasn’t as tall as the others. Things weren’t looking so great for Michael because no one in his family was over 6 feet. But, he was so determined to be tall that he began doing hanging exercises and eventually grew another four inches. Finally, the varsity team accepted him and he began wowing the crowds.
1 Alicia Rivera
Alicia Rivera was just a teenager when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told that she had a 7% chance of survival. Her uncle had previously succumbed to the disease. Though Alicia was scared, she underwent a long and painful surgery to remove her pancreas, parts of her small intestine, gallbladder, and bile duct. Her mother says she is a fighter and it’s clear to see why. Today, Alicia is cancer-free and she’s a spokesperson and public awareness campaign ambassador for The Lustgarten Foundation, an organization that supports cancer research. As if that wasn’t good enough, she’s also pursuing a nursing degree and wants to someday get her Ph.D. to “give back what [she’s] gotten.” How amazing and inspiring is that? It goes to show that you’re never too young to have a positive impact.
Sources: youtube.com, rd.com,biographyonline.net, oprah.com, achievement.org, telegraph.co.uk, aboutdarwin.com, cnn.com,biography.com, biography.com, theguardian.com, people.com, readzine.com
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