Jim and Lynda Sattler are co-chairing the Siskin Hospital's Possibilities Luncheon.

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."

--Mohandas K. Gandhi

EAR TO THE GROUND

PLANNING FOR SISKIN Hospital's Possibilities Luncheon is well underway. The ninth annual fundraiser will be Feb. 22 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Chairing this year's event are Jim and Lynda Sattler. The featured speaker will be Chris Waddell.

According to Siskin spokeswoman Lindsay Wyatt, Waddell, a skilled skier, was injured in a 1988 skiing accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. His determination, though, got him back on the slopes.

"He began skiing on a mono-ski roughly one year later," Wyatt said in a news release. "A little more than two years later, Waddell was named to the U.S. Disabled Ski Team.

Waddell went on to become the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, winning 12 medals during four games and spending a total of 11 years on the U.S. Disabled Ski Team."

Waddell is one of a select few who has medaled in both summer and winter games, Wyatt said. "He was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. In the fall of 2009, Waddell became the first paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro."

The accomplished athlete, who was named the Dalai Lama's "unsung hero of compassion," has been featured in numerous publications and on TV shows including "Dateline" and "Oprah," Wyatt said. "People" magazine named him one of the "The Most 50 Beautiful People in the World," she said.

Waddell founded The One Revolution Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at gaining equality for people with disabilities.

"One Revolution strives to change public perception of people with disabilities, as well as offer the gift of mobility by donating wheelchairs and hand cycles to people in developing countries," Wyatt said. "In addition to his work with the Paralympics and in International Paralympic Committee, Waddell has found success as a motivational speaker. Waddell speaks to the resilience of the human condition with topics ranging from leadership to adversity to quality of life."

There will be additional testimonies from local people who have overcome disabilities to achieve amazing accomplishments, she said. There will be a very special patient video with heartwarming footage of Siskin Hospital patients who have a miraculous recovery story to share. Love, courage and perseverance helped each person turn tragedy into triumph as they discovered that life is full of possibilities.

Proceeds from the event will provide needed services for patients without adequate insurance to cover the cost of their care, Wyatt said.

For more information, contact Sandy Howell at 634-1208 or showell@siskinrehab.org or visit www.SiskinRehab.org.

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/karennazorhill.