Chase an Impossible Dream and Learn Why You’re Here

My hope is that you will chase an impossible dream. 

A dream that requires relentless work, ushers in sleepless nights, and overwhelms you with doubt. 

A dream so big that you’re hypercautious to share with your community. 

A dream that pushes you to reach your greatest potential.

This is the kind of dream I hope you chase.

Because when you chase this dream you will learn why you are here. 

I dream of finishing the World’s Toughest Foot Race: the Badwater 135. This 135 mile foot race begins in Death Valley, the hottest place on earth, in the hottest month, at the lowest point in North America. Participants ascend three mountain ranges consisting of over 14,600 feet of elevation gain and finish at Mt. Whitney’s portal. These ultra runners face extreme heat of approximately 120-130 degrees fahrenheit, sleep deprivation, dire terrain, no coverage from sun, and physical and mental breakdown. 

My dream is impossible for someone like me because:

• Per specialists, I shouldn’t be walking.
• All soft and hard tissues in lower limbs are deformed.
• All major tendons and ligaments are surgically changed or dissected, and my joint capsules are surgically modified.
• My knee caps (patellas) dislocate at random times causing hellacious pain.
• I can’t regulate my body temperature, therefore extreme heat will break me down more.
• I wear the Exosym to run. This is equivalent to running in a walking prosthetic, not a running prosthetic aka blade. Meaning, I don’t receive energy return anywhere near a running prosthetic or a normal human foot. Literally, no one runs in a walking prosthetic.

Yet every single day, I dream of Badwater. 

The kind of dreaming where I’m in a room and not aware of others. In my mind's eye, I travel to Death Valley. I see myself struggling in 126 degrees fahrenheit. The sun is burning off life-sustaining fluids. I hear the clicking sounds of my Exosyms. I count the footsteps to estimate how long until my next checkpoint. I feel a rush of sand blow across my face, past the desolate road, and into the vast Mojave Desert. The silence frightens me as I shuffle forward through the pain.

Every day I dream.

I learned of the value of chasing an impossible dream when I attempted my first ultramarathon. This was an impossible dream at the time. The work needed to finish 50k broke me, yet paradoxically grew me into a better person. 

Then I set the goal of 50 miles, but I DNF'd (Did Not Finish) and only completed 45 miles. I regrouped three months later and finished 50 miles. I recently completed 100k and next up is 100 miles. 

By chasing each of these endurance dreams, I identified why I am here. I’ve been provided the opportunity to turn my adversity into my purpose. To display the gift of adaptability. 

Each run is an opportunity to display my ability to adapt and thrive despite the adversity I face. To show you that you too are capable of adapting and thriving despite the adversity you face.

I am not special. 

In fact, due to how I was born, I am considered less than you based on cultural perceptions. I just made a choice to chase an impossible dream.

So to you my friend, make a choice to chase an impossible dream. Even if you don’t achieve this impossible dream, you will learn why you are here.

 

Published on December 16, 2025