One More Step: My Story of Living with Cerebral Palsy, Climbing Kilimanjaro, and Surviving the Hardest Race on Earth

by Bonner Paddock, Neal Bascomb

Overview

In this exhilarating and inspirational memoir, the first man with cerebral palsy to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and complete the brutal Ironman competition shares the exhilarating adventure that led to his achievements—redefining our ideas of normal and proving that life is never truly limited for any of us.

Bonner Paddock summited 19,341 foot-high Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. Four years later, he earned the elite triathlete title, Kona Ironman. Thousands have done each individually. Bonner is the first person with cerebral palsy to do both.

Diagnosed in his youth, Bonner swore he wouldn’t let this neurological disorder limit him, and for twenty-nine years he guarded the truth about his health. But the sudden death of a friend’s young son who also suffered from CP forced Bonner to reevaluate his life. No longer would he be content striving for normal. Instead he would live life to its fullest, pursuing one breathtaking experience at a time—while raising money for special needs children along the way—and never turn down a challenge for fear of his physical limitations.

His is a remarkable journey that has taken him across the globe and introduced him to a fascinating cast of characters who have supported his inspiring quest. An athlete, adventurer, and philanthropist, Bonner is today no longer defined by his limits, but by the moments that pushed him past them. Infused with his irresistible charisma, courage, and heart, illustrated with 16 pages of color photos, One More Step shows us that we can all conquer our own challenges and embrace every moment life has to offer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062295583
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/10/2015
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Bonner Paddock is a successful business executive and the founder of the OM Foundation® (OMF), serving the needs of children with all types of disabilities. He lives in Laguna Beach, California.

NEAL BASCOMB is the national award–winning and New York Times best-selling author of The Winter Fortress, Hunting Eichmann, The Perfect Mile,Higher, The Nazi Hunters, and Red Mutiny, among others. A former international journalist, he is a widely recognized speaker on the subject of war and has appeared in a number of documentaries. He lives in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://nealbascomb.com or find him on Twitter at @nealbascomb.
 

Table of Contents

Prologue: Fight Your Fight 1

1 Normal. Happy 5

2 A Boy Named Jake 17

3 Swimming in the Riptides 33

4 The Mountain 47

5 It's About to Get Real 69

6 The Wall 89

7 Fire in the Furnace 107

8 The Fun-House Mirror 125

9 Swim. Bike. Run. 151

10 Brothers 169

11 I Told You This Wasn't Going to Be Easy 191

12 Me Against the island 211

13 Go Time 227

14 Man of Iron 243

Epilogue: One Man, One Mission 265

Afterword Robert Family 275

Acknowledgments 279

Editorial Reviews

02/09/2015
Paddock, a business executive born with cerebral palsy, and journalist Bascomb (The Perfect Mile), recount the story of the former’s quest to successfully climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and later to finish the grueling Ironman race in Kona, Hawaii. Raised in Arcadia, Calif., Paddock reveals that his parents rarely discussed his disability in his presence and later divorced. His grandfather (aka Bompa) was his father figure and his “true north,” a guiding influence who taught him to swim fearlessly and instilled in his grandson a formidable sense of determination. In his late 20s, Paddock begins to speak openly about his condition, and after a friend’s young son dies of the disease the author makes it his mission to help others. He garners the support to travel to Tanzania, where he battles his demons (including his anger at his siblings and parents) and the elements on the challenging trek to the 19,340-ft. summit. Upon his return, Paddock realizes he still has further to go on his quest to raise funds and awareness for CP and meets with Ironman legend Greg Welch to embark on a year of training for the triathlon. Each step of Paddock’s journey is described in vivid and compelling detail. Readers will cheer for this extraordinary man, whose story is solid evidence that limits fall away when confronted with resolve, service, and courage. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Bonner Paddock is an amazing person with an unconquerable spirit. His story is beyond inspiring, and he personifies what true toughness and heart are all about. Through it all, Bonner Paddock keeps going, and takes all of us along with him.” — Jay Bilas, ESPN basketball analyst and author of the New York Times bestseller Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court

“Bonner Paddock’s One More Step is the triumphant story of a man who accomplishes the impossible. On a deeper level, however, it’s about the human bonds that can push us to become heroes. An instantly engaging and wonderful book.” — A. J. Baime, New York Times bestselling author of The Arsenal of Democracy and Go Like Hell

“One More Step is a courageous and heartwarming story of one man’s trials and triumphs over cerebral palsy. Packed with adventure, this gripping narrative of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and becoming a Kona Ironman both exhausts and uplifts the human spirit. An inspiring and irresistible book.” — Lars Anderson, author of The Storm and the Tide

“One More Step is a riveting story of overcoming the challenge of living with cerebral palsy and conquering the impossible. Bonner Paddock is an inspiration to everyone.” — Nolan Ryan, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher

“[Bonner Paddock’s] story of training for these events and the mind-boggling pain he endured to achieve his goals will have readers crying and cheering all the way to the finish line. An emotion- and action-packed story of the author’s tenacious, dogged pursuit of his goals.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Each step of Paddock’s journey is described in vivid and compelling detail. Readers will cheer for this extraordinary man, whose story is solid evidence that limits fall away when confronted with resolve, service, and courage.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

One More Step is a riveting story of overcoming the challenge of living with cerebral palsy and conquering the impossible. Bonner Paddock is an inspiration to everyone.

Nolan Ryan

2014-12-06
The story of one man's ability to rise above his physical disability to achieve his dreams. When Paddock was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, cutting off vital oxygen to his brain, leaving him with a strange gait and uncoordinated limbs. However, the author didn't let his extreme clumsiness slow him down, as he was determined to keep up with his two older brothers, despite the numerous broken bones he received while trying. Even after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 11, Paddock continued to push himself physically, a trait that continued into adulthood. After running a half-marathon to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy, the author's life changed radically, and he became determined to show the world that people with this condition could do as much or more than anyone else. With a couple of marathons under his belt, Paddock tackled Mount Kilimanjaro, which became as much a battle with his inner emotions as with the mountain itself. The author's prose, aided by Bascomb (The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi, 2013, etc.), places readers on the mountainside with him, enduring the endless cold, wind and altitude sickness as he pushed himself to reach the summit. "Somewhere—the hundredth switchback, the thousandth—the pain in my legs blew past anything I had ever known," writes the author. "With each step my feet and ankles sent shockwaves of agony. I wanted to cry, to sit down on a rock and weep, but that would mean giving in to the pain." But Paddock went even further and entered the Kona Triathlon, one of the hardest physical endurance races in existence. His story of training for these events and the mind-boggling pain he endured to achieve his goals will have readers crying and cheering all the way to the finish line. An emotion- and action-packed story of the author's tenacious, dogged pursuit of his goals.

Kirkus Reviews

Bonner Paddock’s One More Step is the triumphant story of a man who accomplishes the impossible. On a deeper level, however, it’s about the human bonds that can push us to become heroes. An instantly engaging and wonderful book.

A. J. Baime

Bonner Paddock is an amazing person with an unconquerable spirit. His story is beyond inspiring, and he personifies what true toughness and heart are all about. Through it all, Bonner Paddock keeps going, and takes all of us along with him.

Jay Bilas

One More Step is a courageous and heartwarming story of one man’s trials and triumphs over cerebral palsy. Packed with adventure, this gripping narrative of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and becoming a Kona Ironman both exhausts and uplifts the human spirit. An inspiring and irresistible book.

Lars Anderson