Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Apr 1, 2017

Episode 788 - Steve Walker joins Vinnie today to talk being a Marine, losing his sight, living blind and getting a renewed vision for life through endurance sports such as triathlons.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

STEVE WALKER

  • Steve Walker is 34, a former Marine
  • He is legally blind and could not remain a Marine
    • Stayed behind a desk for awhile
  • Steve's brother was also Navy
  • Vinnie, for awhile, thought he would serve
  • Went to a school in middle school that was Marine Corps ROTC
    • Started from Cadet Private, went to Commanding Officer of Cadet Colonel as a Senior in high school
      • Wanted to go in as an enlisted and let it develop from there

LIVING BLIND

  • When he went into the Marine Corps, he did not know that his eyesight was getting worse
  • No history of bad eyesight in his family or otherwise
  • Started having delayed reaction times and the like at age 18
  • Steve ended up having a disease that was progressive

A RENEWED VISION FOR LIFE

  • Steve's wife told him that he had become a shell of his former self
  • Training for and competing in triathlons including the Iron Man gave him a renewed vision for life
  • He believed if he could accomplish and Iron Man as a blind person, then he could overcome any challenges in life that blindness presented him
  • He now feels like a whole man.