Event Description
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On the 24thof October 2013 and in a national effort to raise awareness on reforestation and with the support of the Lebanese army and under the title of breaking Barriers; Michael took 60,000 steps and walked 19 kilometers for three days on an average duration of ten hours each day in the mountains of Lebanon bridging what used to be a joint and vast cedars forest that extended from The Cedars reserve of Tannourine to The Cedar reserve of Bcharre. Alongside the Lebanese Army; the event was supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon represented by ambassador Angelina Eichhorst and partnered by the Municipality of Bcharre and the Municipality of Tannourine who pledged a vast
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reforestation initiative along with a commitment to work on transforming the reserve into an eco-friendly area. Other main collaborators to this event were Operation Big Blue Association “OBBA”, and Jouzour Loubnan, two of the most renowned local NGOs whose main objective is the environment and reforestation, in addition to other Lebanese organizations.
During his walk, Michael, was accompanied by the Lebanese Army Mountain Rangers Unit, the Red Cross, his coaches, and trainers together with a team of medical and scientific specialists. |
Event in Pictures
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Michael wanted to demonstrate that “with faith and determination nothing is an impossibility and disability is in fact a state of mind.” He yearned to inspire the youth and show them that desperation has no place in a heart that must instead beat with inner strength and determination. If he could do it, why can’t they? His heart-felt message to each citizen is to work for his/her country and community, and for each young boy and girl suffering from difficulties or ‘disabled’ in any sense, to break those barriers of fear. Mike’s
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message is a message of hope and faith, of inner strength and determination. His story is one that inspires people to love, live and give more, despite, but more so for the sake of surmounting, all disabilities and barriers that only exist within the mind! And so, Mike walked…and broke the world record for the first time, with a cedar tree, literary, at his back.
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Message
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In honor of this achievement, and in order to spread the awareness message and symbolism behind his walk; Michael was handed a Cedar tree implant at the start up of his march from the president of the Cedar Reserve in Bcharre. He carried it on his back all the way to the Tannourine Reserve were he planted it hand in hand with the Ambassador of the European Union, Commander of the Lebanese Army Ranger Special Forces Regiment, Brigadier General Chamel Roukoz, the Mayor of Tannourine, Tannourine Reserve President, and many other members of the society.
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The message from planting this tree through a joint official presence was to stress on the importance of the reforestation of Lebanon’s forests, and to demonstrate that only with unity and collective efforts; forests can be saved, and restore the green Lebanon. Moreover, the resilience that Michael showed throughout his journey to break barriers and not to surrender to difficulties was empowered by this cedar tree that stood strong in the soil of Lebanon and defeated all the risks since ever. Michael concluded that “Disability is a state of Mind, nothing is impossible. If I can do it, anyone could do it”.
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Scientific Perspective
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Throughout this journey, Michael consumed a lot of his body energy because he was walking while using a heavy steel orthesis that is not designed for walking especially for long hours. Due to this, he suffered substantial injuries, fell many times and was in a lot of pain, yet despite the urge that he had to terminate his walk, he refused to relent “even if he was about to die”. He was adamant to continue and realize a “Lebanese dream” by bridging the two forests back together while carrying the cedar tree from Bcharre to the soil of Tannourine.
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The injures that Michael experienced and the heavy weight of the steel orthesis urged the scientific team to create a lighter weight and durable carbon fiber orthesis which will allow Michael to accomplish more effective performance with less injures. Furthermore, this was the first milestone within the research of revolutionizing a light weight and low cost exoskeleton which will provide a solution for many people who are physically challenged.
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Press & News
Breaking Barriers - Trailer
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Mike's Message
Prime Time News
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