Christian Wenk, physician and concert pianist
Christian Wenk’s ambitious nature was evident as a young man: he studied at a conservatory, was a concert pianist, and later shifted to medical school. He was also national champion in duathletics — biking and running — until a bicycle accident left much of his body paralyzed. Lying in bed, he thought at first his life was over but over time his gritty character pushed through. He went on to complete his medical studies, his dissertation was on treating paraplegics (ironically, his topic before his accident). Today he is a senior emergency room physician. He is also a highly engaged advocate for the rights of disabled people and coaches the successful Swiss handbike team that competes at the Paralympics.
His spirit is best captured in his own words: “If you want to push back boundaries, or if you want to try something that seems impossible, you must be courageous enough to accept the possibility of failure. I think this is one of the biggest everyday challenges for people, either with or without a disability. “