Reality TV star to tell story from surgery to “Survivor” during ESU visit

Chad Crittenden shocked viewers of CBS-TV’s Survivor: Vanuatu when the contestant revealed that he only had one leg. He’ll tell his story to incoming Emporia State University students and their parents later this month.

Crittenden will present “Getting Off On the Right Foot…..Even If You Don’t Have One” at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18 in ESU’s Memorial Union Webb Lecture Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

“We believe that Chad’s message is so empowering that we would like to share it,” said Stacey Braun, assistant director for student involvement and student success at ESU.

About a year and a half before the television show, Crittenden’s right leg was amputated below the knee to remove a rare and deadly form of cancer. He quickly recovered and completed a triathlon just nine months after the surgery before making it to the final rounds of Survivor.

Crittenden went on the TV show to let the general public know that people with a disability or a handicap are just as capable as those without. “I wanted to go on Survivor to dispel notions that people with disabilities are one step below able-bodied people,” he says. “There is nothing you can do about how others perceive you unless you are doing something to change their minds.”

Today, Crittenden continues to race competitively on a regular basis. His new challenges include taking care of his two young children and authoring a soon-to-be published book about dads and parenting.    

For more information on the presentation, call ESU’s Center for Student Involvement at 620-341-5481.

Last Updated June 3, 2009>