Survivor Contestant Discovering The Will to Survive
Chad Crittenden never considered doing the New York City Marathon—even when he had two feet.
Chad’s right leg was amputated in a battle with a rare but deadly cancer almost a decade ago. Since then, he gained notoriety as the first amputee to participate on CBS Television’s Survivor and as a spokesman for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Even though he has competed in numerous challenging athletic events since his recovery, his carbon-fiber right foot had never found its way to New York City’s legendary event until 2009, when he had a unique opportunity to be a role model for cancer awareness. Synovial Sarcoma claimed Chad’s foot, but not his spirit.
After opting to have his foot removed to avoid the reoccurrence of a malignant tumor, Chad’s speedy recovery and new, cutting edge prostheses opened the door to an amazing new set of opportunities—Survivor, marathons and beyond. Chad has committed to increase cancer awareness; and to share his story of triumph, not defeat.
Chad’s story provides the framework for his inspiring keynote Discover the Will to Survive. Chad describes some of his experiences on Survivor along with valuable lessons he has learned through his climb from the depths of despair to the attention of a national TV audience. He now shares some of the motivational tools he used to overcome obstacles in life, and created something that he calls Conceptual Tools, in the hopes that audiences will be able to take something tangible away from his program. These Conceptual Tools—Steps, Circumstances, Optimism, Risk and Experience—are the core of Chad’s programs and deliberately form the acronym S.C.O.R.E.
Steps—Setting big, long-term goals for yourself can be daunting. By breaking down large goals into a series of smaller, more easily attainable ones, Chad demonstrates how painless this process can become. By taking smaller steps toward his goals, Chad was able to achieve great things.
Circumstances—We have very little control over what life deals us on a daily basis. Whatever circumstances present themselves to us, we need to accept them. However, we do have a hand in molding those circumstances to our liking, once we’ve formed a plan for bettering out lives.
Optimism—All plans for achieving one’s goals must rest on a firm foundation of confidence. Knowing that you will be able to do it and knowing that that goal is within reach will be your vehicle.
Risk—You may be presented with opportunities, but the key is stepping up, moving outside your comfort zone and taking calculated risks to accomplish what you strive for.
Experience—Everything we work for is inconsequential, unless we can appreciate and experience what we are doing right now, and live in the present. Worrying, over-scheduling and anticipating can be counter-productive; it is important to realize that life is not a calendar, but an experience.
Chad is excited to motivate, empower and excite college audiences across the nation this year with his keynote, Discover The Will To Survive.
Check out campuspeak.com/crittenden for more information about Chad and his keynotes for college students, and to watch his video.
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