Hector Manley, a 2012 University of Tampa graduate, spoke on Monday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. about his five-month journey paddling over 2,500 miles down the Mississippi River. His purpose for the trip was to raise over $42,000 for The Wheelchair Foundation and The Wounded Warrior Project. The Office of Student Disability Services and The Diversity Fellowship sponsored Manley’s presentation.
In addition to his journey, Manley discussed his goals in life such as the book that he has been working on about his journey. Manley has been featured in many different magazines and on television. His book will give a personal insight into his life and is coming out March of next year.
He began the presentation demonstrating what makes him so different. Since he was a kid, his life has never been normal. This past April, Manley was named Salvadoran of the month. Choosing this person depends on one’s representation of courage, perseverance and being an overall good example for the community.
For Manley to get chosen was “really humbling” for him. As a child, he never thought that he would have this opportunity. Born in El Salvador, Manley experienced a civil war, an earthquake and losing his legs as a child. He was told he only had five to 10 minutes to live but Manley lasted much longer than that. He now has prosthetic legs. “I don’t consider it a disability,” Manley says, “because it was a great opportunity to accomplish so many things.”
Moving to the U.S. was a new experience for Manley. “It was like being a baby again,” he said. “I had to learn how to walk again, to talk and learn a whole new world around me which was the U.S.” The Manley family adopted him and gave him a new start. His parents in El Salvador had to make a really hard decision to let their son go. However, they knew it would benefit him greatly so that he could have a better future in the U.S. Manley said, “It was incredibly amazing for my parents, the decision that they made and it was such an emotional day when I graduated, having both sets of parents there and that I accomplished all my goals.”
After landing in Detroit, he had three goals in mind to accomplish – learn how to walk again, learn English and study. Manley said, “I had almost forgotten about those goals until graduation at UT this year.” Walking on stage to get his diploma this past May was a huge accomplishment. He’d never seen prosthetics before until his legs were amputated as a child.
Manley remembers wanting to run but he stumbled many times. He lost track of how many times he fell down but he kept getting up and never quit trying. At first, he could not balance but overtime he practiced walking on the sidewalks in Ohio and became very happy that he was learning to walk again. After two years, Manley decided that he wanted to play golf. He only saw it once on television but decided to try it. It was hard being able to balance because every time he hit the ball he would fall. Manley said, “I kept wanting to hit the ball further. I am very competitive.”
About a year later, he ended up playing for his high school team in Ohio, which was a great achievement for him. He kept playing and by the end of 2008/2009, he came to UT and tried out for the team. Manley became a reserved player, meaning he would only play one tournament but he was happy. However, Manley stopped playing competitively and started focusing more on school. Two years ago, he had the idea of kayaking the Mississippi River.
“When I decided to do it, I didn’t know it was 2,500 miles,” he said. He had never travelled that far. Tampa to El Salvador is only about a thousand miles, Nonetheless, Manley continued planning his trip. His parents were with him the entire trip. Manley’s roommate from UT, Michael Weber, also joined the journey, committing to 800 miles.
They thought that it would take them 2,500 miles to get to the Gulf of Mexico but it actually took 2,300 miles. The river was really deep and Manley said, “I really hope it’s not like this all the way down.” He had never seen the river before.
The journey was rough, with temperatures as low as 35 and as high as 112 degrees, but Manley knew he would get it done over the next three months. “I would never stop after day one. It meant so much for me to get to that point that I just had to keep going.” The first day was the most difficult and Manley accomplished only eight miles. After that, he did 25 miles per day to make it to New Orleans on time. “I would never been able to do this without my parents and my friend,” Manley said. “Not many people come across a friend like Weber in college. He even carried me sometimes.” The teamwork and support Manley experienced allowed him to continue with his goal.
He wanted to make it to St. Louis for July 4.
The middle of the river was experiencing its biggest drought in over 50 years. Sometimes it was so dry that Manley couldn’t see the water. When the water was on the very edge of the river, Manley would have to work harder since there was no current. Staying hydrated was important during this trip, but at one point they ran out of fresh water and had to filter water from the muddy river. Over the course of the trip, Manley did not sleep for a total of 13 days.
After 2,300 miles, Manley finished his journey outside New Orleans. He completed his goal after two years of extensive planning. Manley’s first thought after completing his trip was, “I don’t have to do this the next day.”
An average of eight to 10 people do the same thing Manley did this past summer but instead of kayaking, they canoe. Canoeing allows people to carry more supplies and to have a better mileage. They can complete the journey in less than two months. For Manley though, the whole trip was about the charities, the Wheelchair Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wheelchair Foundation takes wheelchairs to third world countries and gives them to people who wouldn’t normally have access to them. “Sitting on the floor is a completely different way of looking at the world,” Manley said.
Manley will meet the founder of the foundation, who used to own the Seattle Seahawks football team, in a few weeks. The founder loved Manley’s project and spoke to him on the river. Manley also raised money for the Wounded Warrior Project, a project for injured veterans who come back from war. Manley said, “Since I came back to this country, with all of the involvement in the Middle East, it meant a lot to me to do my part because I have a lot of friends in the military.” He finds it strange explaining patriotism because he was born in a different country but has lived in the U.S. for quite sometime now. Manley believes that if it weren’t for all the great men and women risking their lives everyday, he would not have had all the opportunities that he’s had.
Manley raised $42,000 total. The money will go towards the foundations, sending wheelchairs to El Salvador and Honduras and the rest to the Warrior Project. “I get to present the money in a big check, not like the real checks, at Walter Reed,” Manley said. “I have received so much help from strangers and I want to give that back to help others. It is important to think that the biggest power in the world exists up here, in your mind and you have that power and can help others in the community and around the world.”
He wants people to understand that they can make a big difference in the world and is very fortunate to help the people around him. Setting goals is a huge part of making a difference. Setting goals has always been part of Manley’s life and his next goal is writing a book, which will come out next year.
As far as what comes next for Manley, he plans on trying something different again in two years. A firm believer in second chances, Manley’s experiences have made him a stronger, better person with a different outlook on life. Manley ended the presentation with these words, “If you know you can do something, you should try it.”
For more information on Manley, you can visit his website at paddlingforapurpose.org, facebook.com/paddlingforapurpose and follow him on twitter at @hecmanley.
Yasaman Sherbaf can be reached at yasaman.sherbaf@theminaretonline.com.