36. Overcoming All Adversity

36. Overcoming All Adversity

Of all the stories of triumph on our list, this one might be the most impressive - and heartbreaking. The man you see on the left has suffered losses that most of us would struggle to imagine. As a soldier, he was deployed to Iraq just as his wife miscarried their baby after six months. She was unable to cope with the trauma alone, and divorced him. While in Iraq, he was wounded in battle, and lost his right leg. Divorced, disabled, and grieving, he was confined to a wheelchair and eating himself to death. He was only 29.

He somehow found the courage and determination to start visiting a local gym, and turned his life around. He dropped 150 pounds, and felt like he'd regained control of his destiny. His advice to anyone who feels too shy to go to the gym because of their appearance is that they should look fear dead in the eyes, and push on. He did, and he's the best example of overcoming the odds that anyone could have hoped to have.

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Did You Know...

I

To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.

II

At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.

III

David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.

IV

15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.

V

The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.

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