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No Barriers Month Continues
AnnouncementAthletics

No Barriers Month Continues

By June 18, 2021August 2nd, 2021One Comment

On June 18, 2006, a motley crew of blind and sighted teenagers from across the USA made it to Machu Picchu. I was fortunate to be among that lucky and crazy group of teenagers and that trip more than any other helped launch me onto the path of living a life filled with adventure. I recently caught up with two of the organizers of that trip, my friends Dave Shurna (CEO of No Barriers) and Erik Weihenmayer (some blind guy I’ve known for more than 20 years and who has stood atop of a few hills), on the No Barriers Podcast. We chatted a little about my journey, our trip to Peru, and the recent release of my book chronicling several of my adventures. Give the podcast a listen here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-barriers/id1437865007?i=1000525728290
If you haven’t gotten your copy of Discovering A Life Without Limits you can get it at www.walnutstreetpublishing.com. Be sure to plug in the code NOBARRIERS and we’ll donate $1 per book sold during the month of June to No Barriers.📸 Brad Jaffke
Photo Description: Kyle standing at the top of Wayana Pass at more than 15000 ft elevation, the highest point of the Ankascocha Trail. In the background is Eric Alexander and Terry Garrett examining a giant pile of rocks called a cairn marking the highest point.

Walnut Street Publishing is excited to continue No Barriers month! Throughout June, a dollar from each book goes to support this incredible foundation. All you have to do is to enter in the code NOBARRIERS to support the cause.

No Barriers believes “now, more than ever, we need to believe that What’s Within Us Is Stronger Than What’s In Our Way.  Through transformative online and in-person experiences, tools and inspiration, we help people tap into their inner hope, optimism and resilience.  In the process, we foster a community of curious, brave and collaborative explorers who are determined to live the No Barriers Life.”

How cancer took my sight, blindness gave me vision, and the mountains let me live.

By the age of seven, Kyle Coon had his second eye removed and became totally blind. Discovering A Life Without Limits tells the story of Kyle going from the darkness of blindness to the world’s mountain peaks. Through the journey, Kyle learns how to trust a world he cannot see and how to conquer the fear of the unknown while asking the reader a simple question: Are you ready to live a Life Without Limits?

More from Kyle:

Previous Blog:

Tuesday Rhythm: Discomfort

Kyle Coon

Kyle Coon

Kyle Coon lost his sight at the age of six after a battle with Retinoblastoma—cancer of the eye. However, not having sight has not stopped him from pursuing vision. Since then he has become a competitive rock climber, downhill skier, runner and triathlete. As a young child, Kyle was shown how to embrace his adversity by world-class blind athlete Erik Weihenmayer who encouraged him to live life to the fullest. Kyle took Weihenmayer’s advice to heart and began pursuing a life of adventure. In 2006, he hiked the Ankascocha Trail into Machu Picchu. In 2007, he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro at the age of 15. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Communication, he became an endurance athlete competing in numerous marathons and triathlons. In 2018, he was a member of the first team of tandem cyclists with all blind or visually impaired stokers (person on the back of a tandem bike) to complete Race Across America—the world’s toughest bicycle race—racing from Oceanside, Calif to Annapolis, Md in seven days 15 hours. Later in 2018, at Ironman Arizona, Kyle became the first totally blind person to complete an Ironman branded Triathlon (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run) in under 11 hours. He continues to push himself physically and mentally as he now pursues his goal of representing the USA at the 2020 Paralympics in the sport of Triathlon. As a young man, Kyle has spoken to major organizations about his adversity and triumphs including various Rotary Clubs in Florida and Taiwan, the International Association of Refrigerated Warehousing, and The American Cancer Society. He has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and in Backpacker and Triathlete magazines. Losing sight has only served as a base for Kyle’s ability to master his ambitions despite his inability to see them. Inspiring those with similar challenges and sharing a few laughs along the way has become his trademark. Drawing upon his experiences as a totally blind person and adventure athlete, he demonstrates the importance of vision, commitment and courage to pursuing an “Eyeronvision” and embracing the adversity along our life’s journey. While he wasn’t the first blind person to climb a mountain, run a marathon or compete in a triathlon, his goal is to be one of the best and ensure he isn’t the last.

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