Paralysed at 16 & Surviving Suicide — Lee Warn on Marathons, Advocacy & Purpose

Lee Warn broke his back in 1989 when he was 16 years old. For 5 years after that he became, understandably, a depressed and angry young man. Then after a failed attempt at taking his own life at 21, he changed his outlook and perspective on life. And what he has done in the three decades since then is pretty cool:

+ Last year he took part in the London and New York marathons…dressed in a squirrel suit, complete with the big squirrel head (because doing 42km in a wheelchair in activewear is not difficult enough!)

+ He has done the Sky Tower stair climb challenge 5 times. That’s 52 flights of stairs.

+ He has also done a wheelchair bungy and rode his chair the 160km round Lake Taupo

These physical challenges are an example of the sort of person Lee Warn is, but he is so much more than wacky endurance events.

I’ve been inspired by Lee for years and I know you guys will be too. This is a small part of his story.

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Chapters

00:00 Who is Lee Warn? 14:58 Overcoming Adversity and Finding Purpose 38:52 Advocacy and the Fight for Accessibility 41:43 Channeling Energy for Positive Change 51:28 The Journey of Self-Improvement 56:49 The Accident That Changed Everything 01:01:41 Navigating Life After Injury 01:19:36 Support and Inclusion from Friends 01:30:28 The Role of Therapy and Reflection 01:40:42 Living with Disability and Future Aspirations 01:57:02 Final Thoughts and Life Lessons