All I Do Is Win...and Work Hard

Well, Adventurers, I didn't think we could top last week, whereby I spoke twice and attended the Latino Film Fest kickoff and, uh, made new friends.

But this past week was pretty great too. On Tuesday I spoke at the Rotary Club of Escondido, per the invitation of my fellow Notre Dame alum Fred Baranowski.  With spring training having just begun, I talked about how this is still a new year and a chance for a fresh start at goal-setting. Having seen the incredible movie Act of Valor last weekend, I thanked the military veterans in the audience for defending this country. The great thing was I built rapport with them early on by engaging in some friendly smack with the six Trojans among the crowd of 180. But they were so comfortable that when I started my bit about the Power of Humor - and used some corny jokes and puns to exemplify that - they booed! As I told my friend Sandy Mas-Fernandez, who stopped by to watch, I usually tell four bad jokes! These guys stopped me in my tracks!

Oh well, it was a very fun luncheon and I was brought to and from it by Jim and Kelly Ponder. On our ride, we deduced that I've known the Ponders now for ten full years. I can honestly say meeting the Ponders, who have gotten both of my books produced, has changed my life.

The next day, the folks from PR group The Alarus Agency paid a visit to my work. They were about to announce what they had told me privately last week: that their client Access to Independence was giving me the incredible honor of being granted their "2012 Lead On" Award for community leadership. I was blown away, thrilled, and humbled by that. So they came to beautiful Petco Park and we did a photo shoot for the Gala in April where the award will be given. I'll upload some pics I took with Anna Allee, Roxanne Farmer, and a great crew from Univisión.

It was a busy couple days because I did a phone interview with Ricardo Gomez of Pláticame.TV ("Talk To Me.TV") and then capped the week by speaking at the Hermanos Unidos Brothers United - HUBU - conference at City College. This was to encourage African-American and Latino inner-city males to pursue higher education. I spoke candidly and emotionally about my story and essentially (and literally) asked, "If I can do it, why can't you?"   They responded terrifically. And, they did not boo.

It was such a long and busy week I needed a weekend of relaxation and sports-watching. And get this - all my teams won!

Irish men's basketball vs. Providence...WIN.
Lakers vs. Kings...WIN.
Padres give Cameron Maybin 5-year contract...WIN.
Aztecs vs. TCU...WIN.
Lady Irish Big East quarterfinal vs. DePaul...WIN.
Los Lakers vs. El Heat...WIN.

A great week capped by a successful sports weekend - the best ever. Here's to another blessed week, Adventurers.
Lady Irish vs. DePaul...WIN.

A Long But Amazing Friday

I wanted to share with you guys, who are kind enough to follow this blog, about one of my most memorable days of public speaking engagements yet. I woke up yesterday - Friday, Feb. 24 - already a bit tired because the night before, Jessica Jiménez, aka J-Squared, and I went to the Latino Film Festival Media Kickoff Party. In addition to seeing peeps like Univision's sports anchor Beto Gurmilez and 933's Geena the Latina, J-Squared and I discovered an IHOP Express on 4th & G and grubbed there afterwards. Here is a picture of me at the event at Merk Restaurant (Fifth Ave.) with Jessica, Geena, and 933 DJ/Producer Sonic.

Well, the next morning I was tired but still pretty pumped because I was going to speak at the kickoff event for this year's Cesar E. Chavez Commemoration Series. A couple years ago I spoke at their Breakfast in front of 1,000 people and this time it was far different - a workshop of 20 people - but the work was still important. The goal of the workshop was helping young educators relay Cesar's stories and accomplishments in such a way that today's iPod wearing, Angry Bird playing, quite prosperous generation could relate. So I talked about the camp director in 1991 who wanted me banned as a "potential liability"; how I fought that discrimination; and how today's kids need to know those types of injustices exist and how to peacefully fight them.

I wasn't at my sharpest because I haven't spoken much lately and the Anytown story is not one I use often. But with some key pregnant pauses and raw emotion, I held their attention and it went great.

I spoke at 10am, the event ended at 11:30, and by noon I was headed to downtown San Diego. I had just a few minutes to check my e-mail, grab my sunglasses, and head to lunch. My lunch date on this warm and sun-splashed afternoon was another Jessica, Spinazzola. I get asked about her a lot but not by name. She's the girl that Peter Rowe describes in his Foreword in "Swinging for the Fences" as me asking him to 'hold my chicken', walking up to her in a restaurant, and within minutes extracting giggles and a phone number. People ask, "whatever happened with that girl??"  Well, J-Spinzz, as she is known, moved to Denver, had a daughter, and we've remained good friends. She was in town to check out schools because she wants to relocate her kid and boyfriend back to SD. I am so glad my moxy that day resulted in a good friendship. I'll post pictures soon that she took of us at Tin Fish.

After lunch, I hustled back to the office and it was straight to the car of my buddy Miguel Trejo. He was driving me to speak to his group, "Encuentros", which mentors teenage Latino boys at Fallbrook High. I fell asleep in his car almost right away but he said he understood. I woke up refreshed, still a little woozy though, and walked into a room full of boys and a homemade banner. I spoke on my overall life challenges and how they need to not let anyone tell them they can't succeed. I was afraid they might consider it a little hokey but when they asked if we could take pictures and wanted to share school experiences with me, I knew I'd made new friends. One kid, Jonah, was both mischievous and sincerely good-hearted and I saw a lot of myself in him. He's behind my left shoulder here.

Afterwards, Mr. Trejo took myself, his family, and a couple of the students out to dinner at Cocina del Charro in Escondido. His older sister came and she's pretty cute. By the time I got home I was wiped out. It was the most amazing Friday I've experienced in a long, long time.

Rotary Conference Speech: The Ethics of Doing More When the World Expects Less

Rotary District Conference Speech – November 4, 2011

Thank you, it is such a blessing to be here today.

I heard that the theme of this conference is ethics.

You know, when we talk about ethics, it has many definitions. Ethics involves morals, and values, and issues of right and wrong. But it can mean so much more.  The dictionary defines ethics as a

Noun:

1.    Moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. The moral correctness of specified conduct.

Ethics can also transcend how we conduct our lives. Not just, is it wrong to steal or cheat? We knooow THAT answer. In fact, as humans, we know what ARE the right things to do.  We simply choose not to.  We take an easier path.

So in other words, is it ok to do less if the world accepts less?

For those of you whom I haven’t met yet, my life story is a different one but still filled with ethical choices and moments. I was born in Colombia, South America and the medicine Thylidamide caused me to be born with birth defects - specifically missing my arms and right leg.

When I was two, the Shriners Hospitals flew me from my hometown of Medellín, to California, to receive my first pair of prosthetics. When I was four, my mother knew that, because these trips were expensive, and because I had family living in the United States, it would be better for me to move here permanently. You see, in Colombia at that time, if you were disabled you could not go to school, or hold a job, or have a life. It was a dead-end existence.

But this meant my mother had to make a huge sacrifice. She and my father had very little resources and had never lived anywhere but Colombia. They knew they couldn’t move.

So she had a decision to make: keep her youngest child – I was the youngest of three kids – at home with her? Or allow me to move to the U.S.? That meant she didn’t know when, if ever, she’d see me again. Ever.

How many of you are parents? Raise your hand. How many could give up seeing their child grow up?  My parents did. In order for me to have a better life and to follow moral correctness not only for them, but for me.

Since I was four years old I’ve grown up here in San Diego. My mother has tracked my progress, from childhood, to undergrad at the University of Notre Dame, to graduate school at the University of San Francisco. I have visited Colombia twice, and my parents have taken great pride in a career that has included media relations, being an author and speaker, and working for the San Diego Padres.

Which brings up another question of ethics.

There were many, many times when things weren’t easy. Being a triple amputee and prosthetics wearer is not easy. Quite frankly, it would have been easier for me to just give up and not try so hard at life.

<TELL STORY OF GETTING STUCK ON MONKEY BARS AT AGE SIX.>

I could have expected less from myself. I could have kept expectations low. After all, there were doctors who told my parents I shouldn’t expect to have a normal life. I could have lived off social help, I could have been untrue to my moral and ethical compass.

Well they were right. My life has not been normal. Nor has it been ordinary. It has been EXTRAordinary.

And this is why. I made a pledge many years ago that if my parents were going to sacrifice being able to watch me grow up, in order for ME to have a better life, I needed to honor that. I needed to think of the largest goals and largest ambitions I possibly could. I needed to be unafraid to dream. I needed to be unafraid to TRY.

A major reason for this mindset was when I attended RYLA as a high school junior. Raise your hand if you’ve been to RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp. If not, I urge you to go next spring. It is one of the GREATEST things Rotary does.

RYLA teaches high school juniors to work together; to break past their fears and worries; to value service above self; to dream, and to change their world while practicing ethics in every aspect of their lives. When I first attended in 1991 it changed my life! So much so that I go back every year.

RYLA also taught me the importance of humor in overcoming adversity. Humor helps you to overcome anything. It strengthens you. A couple years later if people would ask me how much it cost to go to Notre Dame, I’d say, “It cost me an arm and a leg.” And I’d say you can always trust me, because I’ll never commit armed robbery.

Ok, ok, I’ll stop with my disarming humor. Sorry.

RYLA is a special place because Rotary is a special organization. An organization that values service above self. An organization that teaches us if we have, we must give. If we prosper, we must help others. If we have time, we must serve others. If we don’t have time, we must make time.

So I ask you today: are you making the most of your life and your Rotary membership? Are you learning more and expanding your mind? Are you setting goals for you, and your club, that are more than safe and are exceeding expectations? If not, are you really living to the highest work and moral ethics possible?

You know, I entitled my first book “Swinging for the Fences” because that was the perfect baseball metaphor. Swing for the fences, hit a home run. But I took on a new challenge last year unrelated to baseball.

 I tried my first series of endurance races, from 5K’s to the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. The 5K’s I did on my own and the marathons I was part of a relay team. Let me tell you, going through the grind and exhaustion of a marathon with a prosthetic leg is not easy.

But it’s not impossible. <Pause.>

It requires months of preparation. It takes prayer. It takes stamina. It takes the ability to push through, even when your body wants to just stop.

This is living to the highest possible standard. This is giving it your all, because you CAN.

In my job, I am blessed to work for an organization that believes in giving. The San Diego Padres make community giving part of our everyday corporate culture. My role is to specifically help the ballclub impact the Hispanic community. That’s a part of having strong ethical standards.

I often talk to my mother about it, and though she’s getting older and battling some things, she’s tough. She tells me the pride she feels in my accomplishments and how I’ve overcome. I tell her it’s what she instilled in me.

And what Rotary instills in YOU. A work ethic that is tireless and fierce. A moral ethic to do good in this world!

It is who Rotary is! It is who we are! It is who we ALWAYS will be!

God bless you. Thank you.

Disability Employment Awareness Month Speech (City of SD): Oct. 26, 2011

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Thank you, Susan, and City of San Diego. Thank you, Mayor Sanders, Bruce, and Louis for being here. I am so blessed to be here today. Today is really two things. It is a celebration of how far we’ve come in our struggle for equality. But also a reminder of how far we still need to go. It is a celebration and a call to employers to join us in this solution.

In my role with the Padres, I am granted many things. The opportunity to work with community organizations and see how the Padres can make their lives better. The opportunity to work with our players in taking their passion for various causes and turning that into charitable support. The opportunity to play a role in this game and city I love so much.

But what it grants me, above all, is opportunity itself. You see, I know that as a triple amputee with three prosthetics, working in a full-time job for a highly visible organization, is an anomaly, and a rarity. Normally, all too often, someone with a disability this “severe” – quote, unquote – and even less severe, never gets a chance. Too many employers still look at the disability rather than the ability.

For me, it all started with a chance. Myself and all of San Diego lost a great man this year when Mr. David Nuffer passed away. David was a great business leader and pioneer in the public relations field. He was also the ONLY person, after my graduation from college, who would even think of offering me…not even a job…but a job interview. Unlike so many others, who seemed nervous if I walked in their door or inquired about an opening, Dave had an opposite view. He would often GROWL when he talked so I’d hear Let me give you an interview…and then let me give you a writing test…and then finally let me give you a job. It is what we, like any job seekers, long to hear.

It was like getting a passport to a fantastic journey. Working for his PR firm led to working for The Access Center, now known as Access to Independence, and then the Hispanic Chamber, and the Padres. It’s been a journey of struggle and adversity, triumph and determination, accomplishment and dreams fulfilled.

In those Access Center days, my first full-time job, we did a study with Dave’s firm, in fact. We looked at the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities in 1997 and it was a whopping NINETY-ONE PERCENT. The reasons were many. But we also looked at statistics of businesses who hired at least one person with a disability and THOSE numbers were staggering. Satisfied employers: ninety-five percent. Employees who stayed at that company a long duration: eighty-nine percent. Companies who said they’d hire a disabled person again: 99%!

And yet here we are, in 2011, and the economy is slow. And disability unemployment rates are high. And what I’d like to convey to every employer out there is give this segment of the population what Dave Nuffer gave ME: a chance. To those that are seeking employment, I commend you. And I assure the Directors and Managers here, you can find some great employees among us. I urge you, when looking at how to fill your office with hard workers, with brand loyalty, and a tireless work ethic, to look our way.

We must look at WHY this gap exists.  Transportation is a major issue. So is the reality of people feeling it’s more beneficial to stay at home rather than haggle with Social Security and red tape.

Now, I recently was able to take two of our Padres players, Heath Bell and Ernesto Frieri, to Casa Familiar in San Ysidro for a ribbon-cutting and donation of a teen center to which the Padres made a contribution. And as I was there, right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, it struck me that the best thing we were giving these kids is opportunity. Our players and broadcasters even told them that: what you are receiving today is opportunity. Just like we received as kids from working-class families. And I was only able to participate because the Padres gave me an opportunity.

To look past my challenges.  To move past my barriers. To get assistance when I need it. And to contribute to a team that contributes to society. If you are a person with a disability, never give up; as we say in baseball, always keep swinging. If you are an employer, grant that opportunity. Your business will be better for it, as will our city. We have much to celebrate but much, much more to do. Always keep working and always, always Keep Swinging.  

Commencement Speech to United States University

United States University is a small college in San Diego specializing in nursing, health sciences, and liberal arts degrees and certifications. Its curriculum and structure attracts many working adults and also immigrant communities. This is the speech I presented.

United States University Graduation – October 23, 2011

Thank you and I am so blessed to be here today. Today is a day for two things: celebration, and moving forward. Congratulations to the United States University class of 2011! You have come so far and overcome so much.

In fact, you have overcome more than your average graduate. With the program here emphasizing health sciences, and nursing, and management, and liberal arts, it is a rigorous program. It is also designed to reach OUT to the Latino and Asian communities, including those new to the United States.

That is why I love the name of this school, United States University, because that is what the United States does: reaches out, grants opportunity, and empowers you to make the world a better place.

In order to graduate, you needed intelligence, and smarts, and hard work. But you needed one more thing, all of you: you needed the ability to overcome adversity. You needed the ability to push forward if times got rough or it looked like you couldn’t make it.

I can relate. I face a certain level of adversity every day. You see, when I was born I had a birth defect. I was born in the era where a medicine called Thylidamide led many babies to be born with birth defects. I was born missing both of my arms and my right leg.

When I was four I moved from my native Medellín, Colómbia to the United States. I moved to California and received free prosthetics and physical therapy from the Shriners Hospitals. I’ve endured multiple surgeries and would not have made it without the help of caring, informed nurses and health professionals.

Let me show you how my prosthetics work. <Demonstrate>  Just as these arms Stay Connected, you too must Stay Connected. To your faculty and classmates; to the lessons learned here in classrooms and labs; and to your families who have supported you Every Little Step of the way. How about a round of applause for your family and loved ones?

But as you celebrate, you also move forward. Stay Connected to the spirit that helped you overcome sleepless night and tough tests. It’s a PART of you, it’s in your makeup, it’s in your DNA. It’s who we are as a people. We know struggle. We know adversity. Our heritage is a HISTORY of rising above challenges and succeeding in the United States. Carry that with you and become the next great American leader.

Now, I know that wherever I go publicly people may stare because they’re not used to seeing prosthetic arms or a prosthetic leg. That’s ok. You know why? Because it’s good to Stand Out. You should Dare To Be Different. While most people are out having a good time, or complaining about society, you’re working. You’re educating your MIND. You’re becoming a LEADER.  YOU’RE the one people are going to look to for help or when times get tough. Dare To Be Different – help solve society’s problems and be a leader in your world.

And finally, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t. As an infant, the doctors told my family I can’t live a normal life. I moved to America. As a boy I was told I could not participate in a sport I love, baseball. I got a job as an usher with the San Diego Padres and worked my way up to Manager of Latino Affairs. I was told society is too cynical and doesn’t like feel-good stories anymore. I wrote a book called Swinging for the Fences and in three years we have sold over 1,000 copies.

I say all this not to impress you but to impress UPON you that you can do anything. One more thing. In my job I am so blessed because the Padres care about the community and look for community causes to support. It’s my job to look for those groups and organizations within the Latino community. What we find is while there is a great need, there are also many opportunities.

 Opportunities to serve and make an impact. You will all be successful.  Take those same traits – Staying Connected and Daring To Be Different – and use them in giving back. Find an organization or even a person who can benefit from your knowledge and talents. Make it your mission to help make their lives better.

Today we celebrate and we also move forward. It’s the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. You can do anything at all. Never let them tell you ‘no’ and ALWAYS, Always Keep Swinging. God bless you and thank you.

I Believe I Can Fly

Ooops, I Did It Again


Last week I told you about how I delivered an AMOtivational Presentation to the counselors of Camp del Corazon (CDC), a camp for kids with heart defects. Seven days later I was so eager to go to Catalina Island and meet the kids themselves, I could hardly sleep last night. I woke up at 3:16 a.m., which both amused and inspired me because of the Scriptural significance of that number.

A couple hours later, in the darkness of the late summer pre-dawn, my friend Heather Laird - a.k.a. "Smiles" at camp - was in my driveway, ready to drive north. Like a week ago I fell asleep by the time we reached northern San Diego and, also like a week ago, I completely slept through Orange County. Ah, who needs to see San Clemente anyway?

CDC hosts two "VIP Days" where non-campers are allowed to visit so, feeling blessed with this VIP moniker, I was determined to do two things: leave the Blackberry and texting and connectivity behind, and take on any new challenge camp presented.

That attitude lasted all of about three hours. You might be surprised to learn I had no problem leaving my phone behind; it felt good to not be tethered to it. But after we arrived in San Pedro and took an hourlong ferry (where again I slept) to Catalina's Two Harbors stop, my resolve was tested. Joining us at the San Pedro boat terminal was Smiles' dad, Huey, who was granted the nickname 'Mapquest' because of his amazing navigation skills. Mapquest, Smiles, and I were due to meet a camp leader by the name of 'Captain' at the Two Harbors dock.

Captain was there. And so was a tiny motorboat that had no ramp and looked like a white plastic dingy that could flip over at any moment. He tied it to the dock but of course it was moving around in the water. As my boy Nick Golden might say, Ummmmm....how am I supposed to get in this thing?

"Can you sit down on the dock?" Captain asked. When I said yes, he said, "I've got an idea."  He then proceeded to tell Mapquest to climb in, they each grabbed underneath my arms, I slid to the edge of the dock, and found myself standing on the side of the boat. Sensing that I could only keep my balance for a millisecond, and not wanting to, oh, fall and drown, I quickly said, "Bring me in!  Bring me in!"

They pulled me forward, I planted my prosthetic leg into the boat, wrapped my good leg around the nearby seat, and slid down into it. My heart was beating rapidly but I was safe and all it took was calmness and teamwork. And for me to not hesitate when I saw I was a second from potentially losing balance.

We then sped towards the island, the water cradling us as if we were in a bathtub, and the sun booming on this late August morning. I held onto my white cap with green SD lettering and took in the refreshing wind and warmth already enveloping my sunglasses, ears, and neck.

Fifteen or so minutes later we arrived at the dock for Camp del Corazon. Again the dock was high and wobbly and I was skurred. Relax, said Capitán, who had more access to rope on this dock, which allowed him to tie the dingy to it, get out, and drag me by the armpits until I could plant my left foot and stand upright. The dock itself was creaky and moved around in the water, with very steep ramps connecting to the shore, so Smiles and the strapping Mapquest let me lean on them as we walked.

Camp looked phenomenal. It looked like a cross between an Italian seaside villa and a rustic Mexican beach resort, with cabins lined up on two sides and a main row of office/cabins - the main one was called "the White House" - and an infirmary kissing the shore. Smiles, who started volunteering here ten years ago as a wide-eyed 19-year old, gave us a tour. Shrek, Oops, and Gumby, who have become friends to me now, hugged me enthusiastically. The counselors were hyped. The nurses were hot.

All around us kids aged 7 to 17 swam, ran, shot BB guns in the range, rock-climbed, played kickball, golfed, and swung from a giant rope and harness. When they walked past, you could see scars on their chest from surgeries. Often you would hear an adult remind them to keep drinking water and take rest breaks. The scars were a reminder of their challenging lives but the costumes and glitter and free-spiritedness of the counselors were a reminder that these four days were about just cutting loose and having fun.

I lunched with a table of 17-year old "senior" boys, many of whom had been coming to CDC for 5, 6, 7 years. Most were from L.A. but one boy named Juan was here for the first time from Phoenix and yesterday was the first time he'd ever swam in an ocean. After they hit age 17, all campers are required to take a year off before applying to be counselors. Every boy I talked to planned on doing that and when I asked why, one replied, "This camp changed my life as a heart patient so I need to give back."

We munched on burgers as the DJ - Gumby - blasted Sweet Caroline and Party Rock and then I gave a brief spech. I had no notes because kids have no attention span but also because I wanted to just speak from the heart. I explained to them about my arms and leg, which they plainly saw in my powder blue t-shirt and mesh Notre Dame basketball shorts, and told them we face adversity for a reason. It strengthens us and allows us many great experiences others don't have. Have a blast, I said while walking through the outdoor lunch arbor, and never let anything stop you. Anything is possible.

I then fielded questions and the kids, who had been completely still and silent, shot up their hands. I was asked how I put on my socks and shoes and also if I could lace up my own sneakers (no). My favorite, though, was <high-pitched> "Uuuuuummmmmm....when YOU have an ITCH...um...how do you scratch it?"  So I demonstrated by scratching my nose and then giving a counselor a quick massage.

These kids were AWESOME.

Afterwards, as they all rested, it was time for me to fulfill a pledge. I had promised I'd try one new activity so a group of adults led me to the Giant Swing.

It was Smiles, Mapquest, Oops, and two firefighters named Nozzler and Booter and, ladies and gentlemen, I was terrified. We figured out I could wear a harness and hold, and then release, some rope in order to swing freely in mid-air. But I needed to climb a step-ladder first? Sorry, guys, this ain't happenin'.

Nozzler, the 26-year fire fighting vet, had an idea. We tied a second ring onto my harness, attached it to the wire about 15 feet above us, and that kept me suspended no matter what. They then allowed me to shift my weight onto them and I'd lift my left leg onto each ladder step and they'd lift my right one for me. It was grueling and scary and took about 15 minutes but we did it.

I leaned back far more than I desired but I knew I was secured and was wearing a helmet. Finally I tucked my right arm into the harness and released the rope out of my left.

WHOOOOOSH! As if shot out of a cannon, the wire catapulted me into the air, where I glided left and then glided right. I was about 12 to 15 feet off the ground and Swinging back and forth. My friends cheered. I started singing Far East Movement's "Let's Fly" and R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly".  True story.

As fun and liberating as this was, I was still frighteningly leaning back (Nozzler later said an extra D-ring should have been used to prop me up) and my right arm was getting tired within my harness. So they halted me and we slowly climbed down the step ladder. I was dizzy and sweaty but a sense of relief washed over me. Then elation - I had never swung in mid-air like that in my life!

I thought about this on the dingy and ferry rides back (when I wasn't asleep) to Two Harbors and eventually San Pedro. I tried some scary, new things today. Nothing like those kids will face but still daunting to me. And we did it with teamwork, communication, the ability to remain calm, and just plain having some guts.

Back in L.A. we bid farewell to the brilliant and kind-hearted Mapquest - God always has a history of sending people when I need them and, boy, was this guy a major help - and then Smiles and I drove home.

We stopped at the In 'n' Out in Costa Mesa for dinner and I told her that being inspired by those campers was a great way for me to wind down my summer. She brought up my success on the Giant Swing and I slurped my Coke Classic. "Smiles, not only had Sparkplug never been on a swing like that," I smiled, "I've never even climbed a freakin' step ladder!"

She laughed and on the way back to her car I thanked her for introducing me to Camp del Corazon. I had spoken to those kids but in their actions and bravery, they had spoken volumes to me. I need to keep pushing myself and trying new things.

We kept chatting and a half hour later I looked out the window. Orange County looked beautiful at night.

You Gotta Have Heart. Or "Corazón".

Today was one of my best days in a long time. It started with my friend Heather Laird, a.k.a. "Smiles", - I'll explain - picking me up at 6am at my house. Months ago she had asked if I could deliver an A-MOtivational Presentation to the counselors of a camp for which she volunteered. It's an early day, she had said, but you can sleep on our way up.

If there's one thing I can do well, it's sleep. So after a slumber that made me completely miss Orange County, I awoke as we entered the exciting and ennervating city of Los Angeles. I love L.A.'s energy. It's never lacking and it's always awesome to see the Capitol Records building and Studio City and the skyscrapers of downtown. We arrived in North Hollywood and I chuckled that our day-long training would be at the Masonic Temple because the Masons basically created the Shriners - the organization that flew me to this country when I was 2 and provided me free prosthetics at their hospitals in San Francisco and L.A. from age 4 - 21. Hooray for (North) Hollywood!

I was prepared, as we climbed the concrete stairs into the Temple, to fire up these counselors of Camp Corazón. I was ready to hit them with the emotional punches befitting of a camp for kids with heart defects. What I wasn't prepared for was that every counselor greeted me with a hug. Whoooaaa, buddy! Or that a camp rule was that you go by a nickname of your own choosing so suddenly I was receiving these embraces from adults named Gumby, Apple, and Shrek. True story.

Whereas I was ready to motivate them, they motivated me. It was Rotary's Camp RYLA and Notre Dame first day of fall classes all in one. Everyone hugging each other, telling jokes, talking smack, and performing skits. I saw that a main crux of this camp, and this orientation-like atmosphere, was to let kids who had always been told 'no' that this camp would be their first chance of hearing 'yes'.

I grabbed a pen and revised my notecard because I had experiences with both: as described in my first book, friends who said YES let's try the Monkey Bars, and the Camp Anytown director who said NO you shouldn't be here because you might get hurt.

After about two and a half hours it was finally my turn to rock the mike.

I started by explaining that I wanted my nickname to be The Situation. But after lifting my shirt and reviewing my abs, or lack thereof, I saw that I was short, stocky, and yet powerful. Hence my official camp name, one given to me in college: Sparkplug.

I explained about my disability and how my arms worked but spoke slowly because some of the doctors were from USC. (The UCLA grads looooved that one.)

I talked about my camp experiences and how summer camps, especially for those with physical challenges, can be life-defining. How sometimes we provide hope just by our actions. I recounted how the first marathon relay I did with Team MADness motivated a lady who was running for her deceased father and was ready to quit - but didn't.

You can make a difference, I told the 100 or so mostly young adult volunteers. Because you ARE the difference.

They received it real well and I felt the love. I made many friends afterwards, from someone who is helping actors in the Little People community gain jobs, to a guy that wants to teach me Wall climbing, to young ladies who showed me the scars from their heart surgeries.

It was from the latter that I think I learned the most. I know I have my challenges and have endured my share of "pain".  But present in that Masonic Temple (just a space, by the way, this camp isn't affiliated with the Masons) were counselors who had survived heart defects and surgeries as kids. Many of them hadn't enjoyed the activities of youth because other kids had teased them about their scars. Or they were afraid to overexert themselves. Can you imagine being 7 or 10 or 12 and not being able to run and jump and have fun?

This camp, held on Catalina Island, had allowed them that freedom and now they were providing it for other youths aged 7 - 17. Incredibly, some of them were still going back for heart treatments. Now that's courage.

I stuck around and had a marvelous day. And not just because for the second straight afternoon I had In 'n' Out for lunch. #Winning!!

I met incredible people nobly living and assisting an incredible cause.

We left L.A. before the late August sun had dipped into the Pacific and I did what I do best, sleep in the car. Smiles drove and chatted with her backseat buddy - "Kitty" - and I awoke to my cell phone blowing up with texts. Colleen McD, Larimer, and Ana Maria were all at the Padres game and apparently we were beating down Florida 14-1. I had felt guilty about taking a night off of work but my boss Sue had told me this was a great opportunity and to enjoy it.

She was right. Tomorrow we'll honor Trevor Hoffman, himself a survivor of a kidney transplant, who'll someday be in the Hall of Fame. You can never take anything for granted or minimize the impact it may have when kids get a second chance. Sometimes the one most impacted is you.