Spencer West - Standing Tall: My Journey

Spencer West

with Susan McClelland

STANDING

TALL

my journey

Copyright 2011 by Spencer West
First U.S. edition 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

Me to We
225 Carlton Street
Toronto ON Canada M5A 2L2
www.metowe.com/books

Distributed by
Greystone Books, D&M Publishers Inc.

Cataloguing in Publication data available
from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN: 978-1-55365-951-8 (pbk.)
ISBN: 978-1-55365-952-5 (ebook)

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Cover design by Matthew Ng
Art Direction by Matthew Ng and Ryan Bolton
Cover photographs by Michael Rajzman
Distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West

STANDING

TALL

my journey

I dedicate this book to anyone who has ever felt

lost. Keep traveling, you will find your way again.

Contents

Dear friends,

Along the journey of life, there are those unforgettable individuals who just stick with you. People who, simply by having met them, enrich your life and leave you a stronger, better, more hopeful human being.

Spencer West is this person for us.

It is so easy to give up when faced with all the reasons why we cant do things. Across borders, from high-rise apartments to mud huts, people believe that they are not rich enough, or smart enough, or powerful enough to make a change. The media sells us on this idea, leading us to accept that only the perfect or the beautiful or the famous can leave an impression on the world.

Spencer West redefines what is possible every single daynot only what it means to stand tall as a human being, but what it means to excel as a citizen of this world.

From the first moment he met us and gave each of us a giant hugyes, a giant hugto seeing him do a cartwheel and share stories of being a high school cheerleader, to watching him inspire tens of thousands of students as a motivational speaker, hes the real deal.

This book shares the story of Spencers life journey, a journey that has taken him halfway around the world and back again. From Wyoming to Kenya to Toronto to India, from a happy and optimistic child, to a struggling teen, to a hometown hero, to a role model for thousands. Spencer has really lived; hes taken it all in and when a barrierphysical or otherwisearises, hes the first to tackle it with a smile.

We hope that parents will share this story with their children, and friends with their friends, passing on this moving example of what makes a life worth living. Its one of those seldom stories that truly transcends age.

For us, Spencer is nothing less than a hero, a bright soul, and someone who inspires others wherever he goes. We still recall the first time we saw him speak to an auditorium stuffed with students. After he was introduced, this little guy in a wheelchair just zipped onto the stage. With a huge grin, he emanated confidence. And the first thing that comes out of his mouthin true Spencer West fashionis a joke about losing his legs in a freak magician accident having his legs sawed off. After that speech, the line up to meet Spencer rounded the corner.

The best part is that Spencer is the same guy on or off the stage. None of it is an acthes just a guy with an unbelievable personality who wont back down when faced with a wall.

If all of us had his courage, inspiration and willingness to overcome obstacles, think what a different place the world could be. Wed see that our uniqueness is our gift, and that no limitsphysical or otherwisecan hold us back in achieving our dreams.

Craig and Marc Kielburger
Co-founders
Free The Children & Me to We

As soon as I got off the plane, it hit me. The air. It smelled of roadside fires, diesel fuel and perspiration. The Kenyan sun was different than the one in Arizona, too. It was higher in the sky and beat down along with a humid wind that washed over me as I headed into the terminal. But once inside, I nearly choked on the lack of air. I breathed in and out deeply and looked around. Adults of all shapes and sizes were talking in languages I did not recognize. Children were running up and down the corridor, some playing tag, others kicking a soccer ball. All of them were laughing with great smiles spread across their faces. There were so many people, and making so much commotion, it was almost like being in New Yorks Grand Central Station.

I was one of the first people in line to meet the customs officer, a burly man in a baby blue cotton shirt and dark blue slacks. I handed him my passport and took in his nametag, which I could not read. He noticed my stare.

You speak English? Why are you here? he asked, with a thick accent.

I looked up into his dark brown eyes. I I... I, I stuttered.

The man smiled. His big, toothy grin put me at ease.

Can you tell me why you have come to Nairobi? he said.

I am here to build a school, I finally replied, unsure as to why I felt so uneasy.

Where?

The Maasai Mara.

The man, still smiling, looked me up and down, with a puzzled expression on his face. When do you leave for the Maasai Mara?

Well, Im staying here in Nairobi for two days and then were flying to the Mara on Monday morning.

Ahhh, I see, he said, stamping my passport. But his grip remained on my passport, as he handed it back to me. Tellme why are you really here? I imagined him saying, as he stared with intensity into my own dark brown eyes.

I started to shake. He wasnt letting go. Im Im a goodperson, I thought to myself. Im just here to build a school.Why wont he give me my passport?

I then heard a voice in my headmaybe his voicesaying to me: But youre here for something else, too. You will find theanswer. Africa has a way of calling people back to themselves.

Letting go of my passport at last, the customs officer smiled and let me enter Nairobi.

I was in Kenya.

That was in March 2008. For several years leading up to my trip to Kenya, I had been feeling restless. My life has never been ordinary. My list of youthful accomplishments include being one of the only males on an all-female cheerleading squad and winning a state championship, performing in musicals, being featured on state-wide television, winning awards for my volunteer work and grades. But I think what you may perceive as most un-ordinary about me is that I have done all these things without the use of my legs. I was born with sacral agenesis, a rare disorder, which, in my case, resulted with little control or use of my legs. At the age of three, doctors began amputating my legs until they were little longer than the size of two large eggplants. (A vegetable Im not the biggest fan of, to be honest).

Despite that, somehow, through the greatness of my family, my friends and the supportive people in the small-town Wyoming community where I was born and raised, I thrived. I would never have accomplished any of the above had it not been for them. I was never treated differently. I was just Spencer J. West. A whopping 27 tall, who drove a car too fast. Who went to all of his proms with his best friend, Marci. Im just a little guy with big dreams and buckets of courage. And I like to laugh a lot.