Unstoppable (4 page)

Again, I kept waiting for someone to come on the set with a hook to yank me offstage, but that never happened. Seriously, I was granted so much airtime that day I began to wonder if my parents, cousins, and other big supporters had secretly invaded the studio, commandeered the director’s chair, and taken control of the cameras. Later, I would learn that the show’s director was a strong Christian and a big fan, and he’d told his crew to just keep rolling. The director was in tears afterward, and he thanked me warmly. They told us that they’ve never had such a positive immediate feedback of calls, thanking TVN for letting me share my story.

My appearance on the morning show with Felipe and Carolina was such a great experience I was still riding high that afternoon when we returned to our hotel. I was wound up, so I turned on some music while casually surfing the Internet. Then the hotel phone rang. It was my interpreter from the show. She said there’d been an accident and I should check the television news right away. An urgent news flash came on, and they showed a photograph of Felipe and a plane crash site. I understand enough Spanish to pick up on the fact that the crash had been on a remote island, and to my horror, Felipe was one of the twenty-one passengers on board, along with several other TVN employees.

Search-and-rescue teams had been dispatched. The crash occurred off the Juan Fernández Islands, hundreds of miles from the coast of Chile, so reports were sketchy. No one yet knew if there were survivors. Felipe was among five TVN employees who’d gone to one of the islands to tape a segment on the rebuilding efforts there since an earthquake and tsunami wiped out the island’s main town in February 2010. The news reporters said the Chilean Air Force plane they were aboard had made two attempts to land in bad weather before crashing. Luggage and other debris had been found in the ocean, near the island’s landing strip.

As I watched the broadcast about the crash and the search-and-rescue efforts, I felt sick. I had only known Felipe a few hours, yet I could tell he was impacted by our discussion of faith. He seemed genuinely moved when I talked about being greedy for more than a long life on this earth and my desire for eternal life with God. The nature of his questions and the intent look on his face, as well as his emotional response, gave me the sense that this man was searching for a way into a more spiritual life. All I could think about was Felipe and the others on that plane and the suffering of their families and loved ones. I prayed and prayed for them. It was difficult to focus on anything else, but I had been scheduled months earlier to speak the next night to five thousand people, so I had to do some preparation for that, despite the unfolding tragedy.

The media labeled my appearance on his show as Felipe’s “last interview,” and all the stations were replaying it when not broadcasting the grim reports of the search-and-rescue operation. The hours dragged by without word of survivors. First they found only debris, and then we learned of bodies being discovered one by one but not identified.

Later that afternoon an executive from TVN contacted me and asked if I would come back to the station to lead a live broadcast prayer for those
in the crash and their families, friends, and coworkers. I agreed but wondered how I could offer hope to them and also leave room for mourning. We still had not heard if anyone had survived or even if all the passengers had been accounted for. In the televised prayer session on TVN, I noted that when I’d first seen news of the crash, I told someone, “Thank God there is heaven.” I had felt sorrow for those who may have died or suffered in the crash, but I took comfort in the belief they would find peace and God’s love in the next life. “Heaven is real and God is real, so we have to make sure our walk with Him is real,” I said in my message. “We will get through in the same way my parents taught me to live: one day at a time with Christ by our side.”

When I completed my spot for the cameras, TVN executives asked me to address their staff of nearly three hundred people. I had to summon all my willpower to compose myself in front of the grieving group who feared they’d lost their coworkers in the crash. I was overcome with emotion too, especially when the woman who had served as my translator on Felipe and Carolina’s show came and hugged me, crying. She had considered Felipe a role model whom she admired greatly, and she was very distraught.

After I consoled and prayed with her, a TVN director pulled me aside. “Nick, I want you to know what happened with Felipe after your show yesterday,” he said. I was thrown off at first because he seemed almost upbeat in such a somber setting, but when he told me his story, I understood his feelings of joy. This was the same Christian gentleman who’d directed my segment the day before and let my interview go on twice as long as
scheduled. He told me that my reading of Felipe that day had been accurate. The television personality had been on a spiritual quest for a long time, trying to find his way to God.

The director said he had often discussed matters of faith with Felipe, in hopes of bringing him to the Lord. Felipe had been growing closer and closer to accepting Jesus into his heart, but he had not yet made the commitment. The director had long ago told Felipe that one day he hoped to become a full-time preacher so he could minister to needy people in Chile. After my appearance on the show, Felipe said that he could finally see the value in that career change.

The director said I might have helped Felipe move a step closer to God just hours before the plane accident. Upon hearing that, I thanked God once again for revealing His plan for me. It is humbling to think that I could be a tool in His hands used to benefit others.

Later that night, as I was just a few minutes into a speech to five thousand people at Movistar Arena in Santiago, a young woman walked on stage and whispered into my ear that the government had officially announced that the crew and all twenty-one passengers aboard Felipe’s airplane had died in the crash.

Times like this can strike us as so unfair. When sent reeling by the death of a friend or loved one, by sickness, broken relationships, or financial crises, you should not blame God. Instead, choose to have faith. Know that He will soothe you with joy, peace, strength, and love.

I mourned the loss of lives, and my heart went out to the families of those killed in the crash. Yet I was grateful that my testimony and response
to Felipe’s questions during our interview might have helped take Felipe a few steps closer on his path to eternal salvation.

After learning that there were no survivors in the plane crash, I paused briefly, and then shared the news with my audience. Men and women consoled one another. Many sobbed quietly into the shoulders of those next to them. I asked everyone to join me in a prayer for the victims’ families and friends, for the people at TVN, and all of Chile, which in recent years had experienced this plane crash, earthquakes, and the mine collapse that had trapped thirty-three miners during my first visit to this beautiful country just a year earlier. I then recounted for my audience the wonderful interview I’d had with Felipe and Carolina just the day before. I told them how generous they were to extend the interview from twenty minutes to forty. And I shared this thought: “I did not know that the first time I met Felipe would be the last.”

That is truly a bittersweet thought. Bitter because Felipe and I had made a connection that day and I looked forward to discussing with him my faith in greater depth someday. Now I will not have that opportunity. Yet the sweetness lies in the fact that I did not miss the most important opportunity with Felipe. I am a man of faith, and I acted upon that faith by proclaiming it and sharing my beliefs with Felipe when he inquired. I did not hesitate. I believe my purpose is to bring as many souls to God as I possibly can, and so I acted upon that purpose.

I regret that Felipe and the others aboard that plane are no longer with us, but I have no regrets about my interaction with my television host. In fact, I feel blessed that God allowed me to share my faith.

You should never miss an opportunity to act upon your faith or beliefs because you could be the last person to influence someone, to give him courage, or to inspire him. None of us know when our own time will come
to move from this life to the next. That is why you should define your purpose in life. Decide what you know based on facts as well as what you believe based on faith. Then take action to fulfill your purpose according to those convictions. You will never regret living that way.

I put faith and my beliefs out there for Felipe and Carolina and their millions of viewers. I shared with them exactly how I felt and why I felt that way. I admitted that I was not always strong, that I have occasional doubts, and sometimes I am confused. My faith is strong, and it is sometimes hard to see clearly how everything has perfect purpose. But to embrace the journey and believe you are not alone through it is what I try to inspire in others.

I have no regrets about opening up and proclaiming my faith. In whatever purpose you hope to serve, you should do the same. When you put your faith and beliefs into action, you will discover the life for which you were created.

TWO

I
AM STILL IN MY TWENTIES
,
YET
I
HAVE MANAGED TO BUILD A VERY
fulfilling life so far. My nonprofit evangelical organization (Life Without Limbs) and my speaking and inspirational DVD business (Attitude Is Altitude) have taken me around the world to serve others. In the last seven years, I’ve spoken to more than four million people, making as many as two hundred seventy appearances a year while crisscrossing the globe and visiting forty-three countries.

But in December 2010, I hit a wall.

Sometimes, just as life appears to be flowing your way and you are running at full steam, a serious speed bump rises up directly in your path and
wham!
The next thing you know, friends and family are gathered around your bed, stroking your hair, patting you on the shoulder, and telling you everything will be all right.

Have you been there too? Maybe you are there now, flat on your back,
feeling like the old blues song says: “Been down so long it looks like up to me.”

I know the feeling all too well. In fact, in my speeches I often encourage my audiences to do whatever it takes to fight back from adversity by demonstrating my method for getting up without arms and legs. I plop down on my belly and then apply my patented forehead-brace-and-crawl move to return to an upright position. I then tell my audience that even when there appears to be no way, there is always a way. Over the years I’ve built up strong neck, shoulder, and chest muscles from raising myself up in that manner.

There are times though when I struggle to recover from a setback. A major crisis like a serious financial problem, a lost job, a broken relationship, or the loss of a loved one can be difficult for anyone to manage. Even a relatively minor challenge can seem overwhelming if you are already wounded or vulnerable. If you find yourself struggling more than usual with a challenge, my recommended recovery plan is to lean with gratitude on those who care about you, be patient with your tender feelings, do your best to understand the realities versus the emotions at play, and put your faith into action. As hard as it may seem, move forward one step at a time, day by day, knowing that there will be valuable lessons learned and strength gained in each trial. There is a certain peace to be found in knowing that there is a master plan for your life and that your value, purpose, and destiny are not determined by what happens to you but by how you respond.

My approach to applying faith in action in times of crises and extreme challenges has three prongs. First, you need to make internal adjustments
to manage your emotions so they don’t manage you. This will allow you to take control of your life and respond thoughtfully one step at a time. Second, remind yourself of how you have persevered through adversity in the past and emerged stronger and wiser for the experience. Third, put your faith in action externally by reaching out, not only to seek help and encouragement from others, but to give help and encouragement too. There is healing power in both receiving and in giving.

My recent meltdown sent me reeling for an extended period, longer than any other time in my adult life. The experience reminded me once again that having faith isn’t enough: you must live your faith by putting it into action each and every day.

I’m about to bare my soul to you, serving up my initial reaction to a difficult situation as a good example of a bad example. I will share my pain to spare you similar torments. But you have to promise me that you will take this lesson to heart, because this isn’t easy to write about. Okay, mate?

Though I would not wish hard times on anyone, major meltdowns seem to be a part of life. I like to believe that rough patches are meant to teach me important things about myself, such as the strength of my character and the depth of my faith. You have probably experienced your own meltdowns, and I’m sure you’ve taken away lessons learned. Personal, career, or financial crises are all too common and often difficult to recover from emotionally. But if you see hard times as opportunities for learning and growth, you will likely bounce back stronger and quicker. If your despair does not ease within a reasonable amount of time, or if you feel depressed over long periods, please reach out for help either to someone you trust or a counselor. Some forms of emotional trauma require professional help. There is no shame in taking advantage of expert care. Millions of people have been relieved of their severe depression in this way.