Tom Whittaker became the first person with a disability to stand on Mount Everest's 29,035 ft. summit. Whittaker's did so on on May 27, 1998. His authenticity and his ability to engage his audiences 'hearts' and 'heads' make Tom a sought after speaker. Tom reminds us not to confuse an easy life with a good life and never, ever give up on pursuing our dream. Pursuing his vision to become a world-class mountaineer he quickly established himself by making the first ascent of a 1,000 ft. frozen waterfall in the Canadian Rockies, climbing to the summit of Mount McKinley, Alaska and scaling the 3,000 ft. Nose of El Captain in Yosemite Valley. Tom's charmed life came to an abrupt end in 1979 when an out-of-control vehicle crashed, head on, into his vehicle. With shattered legs and 2 severely crushed feet, he refused pain medication in order to plead his case with the surgeon. He emerged from surgery with one of his feet in tact. Refusing to settle for less, Whittaker rebuilt himself as a more significant and resolute person. He earned a second Masters degree and, in 1981, created the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group. Tom Whittaker's story is a compelling and universal allegory for our times; one that reminds audiences of the infinite power we all possess to turn adversity into triumph! Titles Making It Happen! How High Do You Want To Go?" Riding The Avalanche Topics Adventure, Motivation, Celebrity Click topic above to see more speakers on that topic Speaker's Asking Fee Range $15,000 or more Click on fee range to see more speakers. This is the starting keynote fee range - other programs may be higher. State AZ Click on state above to see more speakers from that state. Fees The fee range quoted means the speaker's fee starts somewhere within that range. Note that speaker's fees are subject to change and some speakers may have special fee quotes.