MacFarlane discusses overcoming blindness
Greg Burghardt
But Craig MacFarlane would trade it all in for a chance to see the world he lives in.
MacFarlane spoke to more than 60 CMU students, faculty and community members Thursday night in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium about the importance of believing in oneself and going the extra mile each day.
Blind since the age of 2, MacFarlane said he believes his impediment is a minor inconvenience.
“I never wanted people to look at my blindness as a handicap,” he said. “If I had listened to 10 percent of the people who told me I could not be a good athlete because I was blind, I would not be up here talking to you.”
MacFarlane recalled stories of his youth in Canada and his early start in athletics. He began wrestling at the age of 11 for Canada and worked out daily to compete at the level of athletes who had full use of their vision.
“My key to success is hard work,” he said. “If you can utilize failure and frustration and use those as stepping stones, you become a stronger person.”
In addition to wrestling, MacFarlane also trained in several types of skiing, golf and basketball. He has earned 103 Disabled Olympic medals and also has been a competitor in the U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Championships in Utah.
“Gordie Howe said (skiing) was a combination of guts and stupidity,” MacFarlane said.
The audience laughed.
MacFarlane’s message was not just to the athletes in the audience, but to anyone who struggles in life, he said.
“Respect is something I think is crucial ... if you want someone to believe in you, then you have to believe in yourself. When you find yourself in your darkest hour, that cuts to the essence of who you really are.”
MacFarlane also talked about desire and the need to reach out to others.
“Desire is measured by the size of your heart and how much you want to give,” he said. “I have never met a true champion who wasn’t passionate about what they did. Yet ... it is our responsibility to reach out and try to make a difference in the live of others.”
A question from the audience prompted MacFarlane to discuss his blindness a little further.
“I would trade (my Olympic medals) just to have my eyesight and to see the simple things that you all take for granted,” he said.
Praise for MacFarlane’s hour-long speech was high.
“Our coach told us about him and since the cross country team has a meet Saturday, I figured we’d come here to get inspired,” said men’s cross country runner Jacob Crowe, Grand Ledge junior. “It worked ... he was great and I think everyone has a lot to learn from him.”
Nick Williams, assistant athletics director, worked together with Athletics Director Herb Deromedi and Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe to bring MacFarlane to campus.
“I’m a little discouraged that we did not have as many people here, but those who were here saw a great presentation and were touched,” Williams said.
MacFarlane ended the speech by answering a question about what he plans to do next with his life.
“I think I’d like to run for Congress ... I’ve spoken at three consecutive Republican National Conventions, and the Bush family said they would endorse me,” he said.
He also added that blindness has been a blessing to him in some ways.
“Being blind has helped me to put my best foot forward,” he said. “It afforded me the ability to see people from the inside instead of for their looks.”
