Meet our dear friends Nathan and Heather Ogden. They are an amazing power couple from Utah who are on a mission to share their story and change lives for the better in the world. Nathan has not only broken his neck once, but twice! He lives to share his powerful story, inspire those of us with full use of our bodies, yet live figuratively paralyzed or frozen in the fears that we create in our minds.
From a rising 20-something to instantly paralyzed, Nathan Ogden’s life came crashing to a halt. Nathan shattered his neck snow skiing leaving him a quadriplegic in 2001. Through intense therapy and pain over the next year he recovered nearly half of his body function and began working full-time again. Just as life seemed “normal” again Nathan experienced another devastating neck break that robbed him the use of his hands, triceps, and any regained movement from the chest down. By staring his excuses in the eye he found new legs to live life standing taller.
Today, he is a highly sought after inspirational keynote speaker, trainer and author of the book, Unfrozen. Nathan has taught thousands in business, organizations, nonprofits and schools how to conquer their fears and move from paralysis to progress through eliminating excuses in their professional and personal lives. Nathan instantly connects with his audience and delivers invaluable principles they can relate to and act upon.
Since his second neck break he has experienced snow skiing, snorkeling, skydiving, completing a half triathlon and most recently rappelling off a 150 foot cliff. Nathan resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Heather, and together they enjoy raising their four children. His courage and determination give hope and power to all who know and hear his message.
Chair the Hope
Their current adventure is to complete a 1,200 mile bike ride from Mt. Bachelor to Los Angeles!
100% of each dollar raised will be going to benefit the purchase of a wheelchair for someone in need through the Wheelchair Foundation.
The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Independence.
In the photo below, that wheelchair could be the difference between that little boy going to school with his sister or being sold off as child labor or left uncared for and unfed at the mercy of the town’s people who view a person with limited or no mobility with their legs as less than a human being.
When we asked Nathan about why this is so important to him and his family, he responded, “There are so many causes out there that we support, and when we learned about this, it hit us hard because we know what it’s like. I know what it’s like to not be left in the room while everybody goes outside. With a wheelchair, I can go anywhere. We want others to have a sense of independence and the ability to choose how to live life. Wheelchair Foundation not only delivers the wheelchair, but offers training in the community where the chairs are delivered to provide life skills that create lasting behavioral changes. I would love to see kids be able to go to school and play at the park with their friends; parents and guardians be able to go to work to provide for their family; and the person of any age who simply looking down the road with a desire to buy groceries, worship, or just plain travel 1000 yards they couldn’t reach alone before. This is why Heather and I do what we do.” —Nathan Ogden
Learn more about Nathan Ogden and his stunning wife Heather here.
