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On Eagle Wings<

My dad Gene Mitchener always said, “Don’t let what you can’t do stand in the way of what you can do.” Since I’m disabled, there are many things I can’t do. I can’t walk. I can’t breathe without the use of a ventilator. I can’t even scratch my nose. But there are also many things I can do. I can write. I can create artwork. I can pray. I can encourage. As I write in my book Just Passing Through: Notes from a Fellow Traveler, “With every prayer I pray, I soar. With every word I write, I’m free. With every song I sing, I fly. With every moment placed in God’s hands, I ride the wind.” Or as I put more simply on my Twitter page, “I can’t walk, but I can soar!”

Soaring despite setbacks is not unique to me. Many people deal with difficulties, but choose to soar. So I’m starting something called Soaring Saturday. Every Saturday, I’ll feature a few people who soar despite setbacks. Today, I’m featuring two people.

My first Soaring Saturday mention is Donovan Sachs (@thesachsman on Twitter). Donovan is a consultant and photographer living in Arizona. In January, Donovan was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (you can read the full story here). He went from being totally able-bodied to being 75% paralyzed in a matter of days. Donovan is no longer paralyzed but his recovery is a slow process. In the midst of his recovery, Donovan was just recently diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome which is a genetic disorder that can have many serious complications. In Donovan’s case, the disorder is affecting his aorta (the big blood vessel connected to the heart). Donovan’s aorta is bulged at the root.

Despite these serious health problems, Donovan maintains a positive attitude and continues to be involved with photography. As he says on his blog, “God is good! We may not always understand what the purpose for such an event but He has a plan.” Donovan, keep soaring!

My second Soaring Saturday mention is Tony Memmel (@tonymemmel on Twitter). Tony was born without his left forearm. Despite this limitation, he taught himself to play guitar, piano, and harmonica. This folk songwriter’s first album (aptly named “The Tale of an Underdog”) sold several hundred copies solely through gigs. Tony’s second album “Potter Road” will be released in the next few weeks.

Tony’s gigs have mostly been in the Midwest, but he hopes to broaden his horizons this fall with a U.S. tour. His gigs were often solo efforts, but more recently have included Brian Farvour on drums and Tony’s wife Lesleigh Memmel on piano/keyboards and backing vocals. You can hear Tony’s music on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/tonymemmel. Keep soaring, Tony!

If you would like to nominate someone for Soaring Saturday, please reply to me on Twitter with your nomination. Be sure to include the hashtag #soaringsaturday. If you’re not on Twitter (why not?!), you can contact me here with your nomination.

Keep soaring!

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