You may have heard of Mark Pollock. He is one of the most extraordinary men alive in Ireland today.
A native of Northern Ireland, Pollock became blind at the age of 22, when his retina became detached, but determined to live life undeterred, he set about living an extraordinary life, and in 2009, he became the first blind man to race to the South Pole in 2009.
Then, a year later, Pollock suffered a tragic fall from a second story window, leaving him paralysed. His positivity remains undimmed, however, and has embarked on cutting-edge treatment in a bid to walk again. In addition to this, he delivers motivational speeches.
Ahead of Ireland's historic victory over New Zealand in Chicago, Pollock spoke to the squad.
Here are the words he delivered:
Up to this point in history, it has proven impossible to find a cure for paralysis, but history is filled with the accounts of the impossible, made possible through human endeavour.
The type of human endeavour that took people to the South Pole a hundred years ago.
The type of human endeavour that took astronauts to the moon fifty years ago and the type of human endeavour that I hope will ultimately find the cure for paralysis.
I told them about what we were doing to try and turn the impossible possible.
If they were in the business of writing a new history, or making the impossible possible, I suggested they start thinking like explorers.
And it worked, by any measure.
Mark Pollock was speaking to RTE Player as part of a special interview series to celebrate Science Week. You can watch the full interview here.
