On May 17th, 1994 at 5:29 pm, John was a four-time all-American collegiate track athlete, a two-time Olympic Trials Qualifier, and an Olympic hopeful in the 400m hurdles.

On May 17th, 1994 at 5:30 pm, John would never run another hurdle in his life. 

While training to be an Olympic hurdler, one misstep in a practice session left him with a life-changing choice: Live the rest of his life in a wheelchair or amputate his left leg.

John chose amputation and was fitted with a prosthesis. For any other athlete, this would have been devastating. John found a way to create a new normal.

He rehabilitated by swimming. 22 months later he made the Paralympic swim team. It was at the Paralympic Games, in Atlanta, John was introduced to Paralympic track and field. Four years later, he won the Paralympic silver medal in the long jump in Sydney, Australia.

His keynote address, "Hurdling Adversity: Embrace the New Normal," takes a deep dive into three areas which lead us from fear to freedom, 

inspiring others to change their lives.