Interviews
Name: Jack Kavanagh
Degree: B.Sc. (2017) Pharmacy
About: A spinal cord injury in 2012 aged just 20 left Jack Kavanagh paralysed from the armpits down with limited use of his arms and hands, 15% muscle function in all. Defying the odds Jack returned to TCD only thirteen months post injury to continue his Pharmacy studies, he would go on to as he put it show that “limitations are only perceived”. The manner in which Jack, a former competitive windsurfer, tells his story and goes about his new life has inspired a far-reaching audience. He offers a unique perspective on overcoming adversity and turning challenge to advantage.
You returned to TCD after only 13 months, can you describe the feeling of returning to campus?
Returning to college was a goal my family and I set very early when I moved from intensive care to rehab. To put things in perspective, at the time I decided to return to college I was only learning to breathe unaided and couldn’t even feed myself. So having such a big goal became the driving force for me to push on and win so many little battles every day to get back to TCD. I knew that doing so would return some sense of normality to life and allow me to start piecing my life back together.
Coming back to campus was a fantastic feeling, the disability services, the sports centre and accommodation services were a huge help. But the reality was that at that stage I was just surviving. For a 9AM lecture I was up at 6AM and it was taking the assistance of two people to get me up and out. I’d be so exhausted by lunchtime that I wouldn’t have the energy to get into bed and I’d just pass out on a table. But as the weeks passed I was building momentum and with that came confidence to push more and to wonder what else was possible. Getting my exams and finishing that year was a massive boost for everyone that had a hand in making it all come together. Being surrounded by friends, being stimulated intellectually and having a safe environment in which to try new things and push myself was amazing. I was now confident enough not only to survive but to know that I could become more and more independent, but more than that I could have a big impact on the people around me based on how I approached my situation.
You were told you’d need a huge amount of assistance with everything for the rest of your life, but within a short period you defied that, tell us more?
In rehab I was told that I’d need the assistance of two people to do most things going forward, I can remember my reaction at the time and in more appropriate language it went something like “that’s not the reality I’m going to exist in”. Over time I became fascinated about how I could use the muscle function I had remaining (shoulders, biceps, wrists) to do as much as I possibly could for myself and how I could find practical tools and strategies to become effective and independent to the greatest extent possible. The more I trained my body the more I appreciated how I could do things I didn’t think were possible previously. I understood that I would need assistance in the morning and evening, and that is something I’m happy to contend with to make getting up and out as efficient as I can so I can go about my day. But over time I have refined my manual wheelchair setup to be very compact and functional. I have methods for doing everything like accessing my backpack to using my laptop as quickly as anyone else, even down to dressing and eating with no hand function. Now I drive, I have both a handcycle for exercise and an electric bike that is almost like a scooter and I can just attach them and get to where I need to be as fast as most other people. I realise there are places and things that present a challenge, but being open to taking help has opened so much more of the world to me.
What inspired you to make a documentary of your trip to the West Coast of the US? What did you want to achieve by doing this?
It’s a great question! I saw so many of my friends going away travelling and I thought to myself, there is no reason why I shouldn’t be doing the same. It was over a pint with a roommate of mine from Trinity Halls that we remembered a promise we had made to each other before I had the accident, a promise that we would go travelling and it would be a trip we could tell our grandkids about. Once we remembered that we looked at each other across the table and “feck it, let’s make it happen”. But more than that we wanted to bring people on the journey with us to show them that “Limitations are only perceived” and so the concept of the documentary Breaking Boundaries was born.
I went home and made a video pitching the idea, it went to a public funding website and the interest really took us aback. All of a sudden we had a budget and no idea of how to make a documentary! Needless to say the trip itself was the centrepiece. On the surface it had massive highlights from skydiving to whitewater rafting, from hanging out with U2, Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz to a meeting personal hero of mine on the street. But on a more human level the trip and experiences we all shared were really a watershed moment for all of us in different ways. I think the honesty of the way we told the story has resonated with people and is responsible for the popularity. It won Best International Documentary in Garden State Film Festival and has been placed in several other festivals. It is available on Amazon Prime and has been shown on TV3 and 3e. It was a lot for our small team to juggle to produce, edit, market the documentary while some of us worked full time and others finished college but it was a fantastic learning curve.
You have become a noted speaker over the past few years, tells about that journey?
There is something very real about being in front of an audience and captivating them with a story or learnings and seeing the impact it can have. Around the time I had my accident on of my role models took his life and it had a profound impact on me. I made a promise to myself to always be transparent with others, to go a layer deeper than the superficial world we live in generally allows but needs so much. So initially my speaking came out of necessity, at fundraising events being held for me to give people a sense of where I was at and how things were progressing. But then I was approached to do a TED talk. Initially I pushed back, I was going through a really low period, but a few people pushed me just at the right time and I haven't looked back. It blows me away how that TED talk “Fearless Like A Child” is still reaching people. Since then I have done everything from crowds of 3000 at Pendulum Summit, to corporate training days, to leadership events, to universities, schools and sports teams. I speak about resilience, personal leadership, everyday heroes, grit & glory and living authentically for yourself. More and more in this disillusioned and disconnected world we live in people are looking outwardly for heroes and they miss the magic they have within themselves, I love to get people thinking about that.
Who has been influential in your life since you had your accident and how do they inspire you?
Wow, there have been so many people. I talked previously about everyday heroes and I think that ordinary people I meet around Ireland and the world who are choosing to live authentically inspire me the most. If I’m honest, my Mum, Dad and two sisters inspire me more than anyone. We have been through thick and thin together but the amazing thing about all of them is that they don’t shy away from the hard conversations, that they show up to the world day in day out and bring their best selves and that they are selfless in the way they act.
What is next for Jack Kavanagh?
Ah the big question! At the moment I am balancing a few plates. I have graduated from TCD and am doing a masters of Pharmacy in RCSI which involves working full time and completing online coursework. I am speaking a lot and also training to be a youth facilitator. It’s a constant challenge to find balance where I have time to keep fit and see my friends too but I am committed to making it work for the time being. Going forward I want to continue to challenge peoples perspectives and to challenge myself in a manner of ways. As I say to my granny who is 87 and is still driving and winning golf competitions, this is only the beginning!
If you would like to get in touch I’d love to hear from you hello@jack-kavanagh.com
Visit Jack’s website for more information or watch the documentary trailer of Breaking Boundaries.