John Maclean

Historical and Traditional Sketches of Highland Families, and of the Highlands

The parochial and family history of the deanery of Trigg Minor, in the county of Cornwall

Mark Tabb

'If you look up mental toughness in the dictionary you'll find a picture of John Maclean' Steve Waugh AO Walking on the beach and holding hands with a loved one is a dream taken for granted by most. But when aspiring athlete John Maclean was struck down by a truck while training for a triathlon at the age of 22, this dream became impossible. John survived, but was left paraplegic – catastrophic for a life so full of promise. He insisted that he’d walk again, but it became clear John would need to shift his focus, and take his beloved father’s words to heart: ‘How far can you go?’ With fierce tenacity, determination, and the love of family and friends, John became one of the most accomplished wheelchair athletes in the world, the first wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championships and the first paraplegic to swim the English Channel. He also competed in the Sydney Olympics wheelchair demonstration race and in two Paralympic Games in two different disciplines, winning a silver medal for rowing in Beijing. But John still longed to walk, hand in hand, on the beach with his wife. It wasn’t until he discovered a radical therapy that John was able to reach his full potential by retraining his mind and body to unlock new neural responses . . . and stand, walk, and fulfill his dream. How Far Can You Go? is John Maclean’s amazing story, and his quest to walk again after 25 years in a wheelchair.

My 25-year quest to walk again

How Far Can You Go

An inspirational memoir by a man who became an elite wheelchair athlete after suffering a catastrophic spinal injury and who finally walked again 25 years after his accident. After two years of intense physical therapy following his crippling accident, John Maclean set a new course for himself when his father encouraged him to embrace his new reality and asked: "How far can you go?" Inspired, Maclean became the first paraplegic to complete the Ironman World Championship and swim the English Channel before going on to win a silver medal for rowing at the 2008 Paralympic Games--yet these achievements did not come easy or on his first try. But with fierce tenacity, determination, and the love of family and friends Maclean was able to see each dream realized. Yet he longed for one more victory: to walk on the beach with his family, holding his wife's hand. Through a radical therapy, he retrained his mind and challenged conventional thinking to walk again after 25 years in a wheelchair. HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?is his amazing story.

John Maclean

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