Team Never Quit Mike Shoreman: First Athlete with Disabilities to cross all five Great Lakes
Dec 7, 2022
49:38
From a paddle boarding coaching career to becoming physically and mentally unbalanced. That’s the life-changing call for this week’s Team Never Quit guest, Mike Shoreman. Marcus and Mike discuss the affliction of the Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, and Mike’s relentless never quit the pursuit of a “normal” life. His mission to prove everyone wrong not only resulted in walking again, but getting back on the paddle board despite his vertigo, and becoming the first person with a disability to cross from one country to another by paddle board while raising funds and awareness for youth mental health programs and services. He crossed all 5 Great Lakes. Mike encourages all people to change their personal struggles into their greatest weapons and develop confident versions of themselves.
In this episode you will hear:
- My Chicken Pox from when I was a kid re-activated as Shingles. My symptoms developed over five days, and all the nerves in my face shattered and it looks like I had a stroke.
- I lost my independence, my business, and my identity.
- I had a significant mental crisis and breakdown.
- It was so easy to say “I’m fine.” I did that for months but I wasn’t fine.
- As my physical recovery improved, so did my mental state.
- I was forced into mental health treatment. I wasn’t eager to go and get it.
- Mental health is the most underfunded of all healthcare systems.
- That first crossing set everything in place that we needed to know.
- Lake Huron and Lake Michigan gave me the most fight.
- It took me 28 hours to cross. My feet “pruned” and I couldn’t stand. The Canadian Coast Guard and paramedics came to be sure I was okay.
- The thing that set in was - Who this is for?
- I was going 2 1/2mph to 3mph for 28 hours. I was literally going to the bathroom on myself every 10 minutes.
- I had to say to myself “You’ve been through tougher than this and this isn’t going to last forever.
- Men & women of service are deeply inspirational.
- Nothing in life is permanent.
- Life is a series of peaks and valleys.
- Resilience is built.