This is the story of a man determined to make the most of everything life has to offer. He shares his experiences, thoughts and ideals in this remarkable book.
Mark Bannister was born in Liverpool in 1965 - at an early age he was diagnosed as having a rare form of spinal muscular atrophy which required his use of a wheelchair. Because the condition was rare he felt somehow special and developed a strong desire to continually be the first to achieve what no other disabled person had done before.
The book describes the challenges Mark faced as a child growing up with a disability. He shares many exciting and humerous episodes, each having a meaning that both contributed towards making him the person he is today, and developing his beliefs and ideologies in life. At an early age, unlike the cliche desires of being a fireman or an airline pilot, Mark had a great ambition to become a Grand Prix driver. As a step in this direction, he took up kart racing. He went on to become the first wheelchair person to receive a UK competition license and being crowned the annual provincial champion in his class on two occasions.
His disability did not allow him to follow his desire of becoming an F1 driver and as such his interests changed to within his physical abilities. Throughout College he became more aware of world politics, development and human rights issues, and subsequently gained a desire to travel and learn more about the cultures and countries of the world we live in.
Because of this growing desire to travel and to work in community development, Mark delayed his entry to University for two years. This was an exciting and rewarding period of his life. The first big adventurewas an expedition to Chile where he was to spend time in some of the most remote and dangerous country in South America - he was to assist with the renovation of a medical centre and the building of a jetty for rural communities. The mountainous nature of the terrain presented a considerable challenge and Mark's solution to this was to take with him a quad bike and modified wheel chair which enabled him to negotiate the rough ground. The book gives a lively and fascinating account of the country, the villages and the people, and of the adventurous exploits in the mountains with the quad bike.
Community involvement continued through American summer camps, where Mark spent time teaching and supporting physically and mentally disabled children and adults - the work was intense and hard. It was here that he met someone with the same disease as himself and for the first time he began to understand his own condition better.
With rucksack attached to the back of his wheelchair, Mark also travelled throughout many world countries including the US, Hong Kong, South China, Thailand, New Zealand, Greece and Denmark. The impressions of these interludes are colourful, perceptive and humorous.
By the time he had qualified, Mark's career objectives had changed from a desire to design race cars to being involved in development work within poorer communities. For a few years he worked as an engineer in the UK and developed his expertise in water and sanitation. At the second attempt, he was accepted by Voluntary Services Overseas and offered a post in South Africa - it was the first time there had been a volunteer using a wheel chair that qualified for such a position.
Mark was based inthe north of the country and was involved with provision of water and sanitation to the rural people. He gives a realistic portrayal of life in this region, in the villages and the townships, and discusses attitudes of the different groups within the community in post-apartheid South Africa. Mark was enjoying his life to the full - he met his future wife, Kabelo, through the work they were doing...and then came the car accident which changed his life completely and made his dependency on his wheelchair and those around him so much more than previously. The accident may have damaged his body but not his spirit nor his enthusiasm for life and most of all his desire to help others less fortunate in rural communities of South Africa.
This book is not merely descriptive, the author draws on incidents and experiences, at school, as a student, at home and in the many different places he has visited or worked, to introduce political and social comments and arguments and his own philosophy of life.
Throughout the book, the author takes pains to point out that disabled people can rise above their disabilities and take their place in society together with those who are able. He dispels the misconceptions that the physically disabled are mentally impaired and inferior - he describes his feelings on occasions when he has been treated as such and records how regressive and demeaning this is. He relates discrimination in his own life to racial discrimination in South Africa and compares the similarities. He questions the sincerity of 'equal opportunity' employers and comments on attitudes towards the disabled in different parts of the world.
The book provides inspiration and motivation notonly for the disabled but also for those having difficulties in life which they are struggling to overcome. The author gives encouragement to readers to adopt positive attitudes and be proud of their achievements, to appreciate what they have, to share experiences, to help others fulfill their ambitions and to use their knowledge and skills to assist those less fortunate. He tells of the great reward and pleasure he obtained during the time he spent working in deprived areas with the poorest people of the world - those with no money and few material possessions were some of the most happy, friendly and hospitable he ever encountered.
This is the story of an extraordinary life, of achievement and courage. It is entertaining and informative - it will be welcomed by all who read it, including those working or living with disability, travel enthusiasts and those interested in real life adventures.
About the Author: Mark Bannister was born in Liverpool, UK, in 1965 - at an early age he was diagnosed as having a rare form of spinal muscular atrophy which required his use of a wheelchair. Because the condition was rare he felt somehow special and developed a strong desire to continually be the first to achieve what no other disabled person had done before. He was also determined to demonstrate how productive disabled people can be within our society, to help one another and improve the world we live in.