Michael Haddad from Lebanon has been paralyzed from the chest down since he was six years old.
Medical experts say he shouldn't be able to stand, but with the help of an experimental exoskeleton he will walk, hike, and ski six miles across the North Pole to raise awareness for climate change with the support of the United Nations Development Programme.
MICHAEL HADDAD
We are doing this to urge and invite world leaders to communicate the urgency of the climate agenda. I'm doing it not as Michael Haddad, I'm doing it under the UN flag. We must invite those who are leaders to communicate. We must act now.
Michael traveled to the Vatican in June to tell Pope Francis about his trip. Just weeks before he is set to depart on his journey, he met again with the Pope. In their conversation they discussed how faith can inspire people to take greater climate action.
MICHAEL HADDAD
It was very spiritual, but it is more about faith, more about having trust in humanity, in our creator, and how to inspire people to move forward.
Pope Francis entrusted Michael with a special copy of the book documenting the prayer he delivered in St. Peter's Square at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, titled “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”
Michael will take it with him to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, where it will be deposited as a seed of hope in overcoming the world's greatest challenges.
MICHAEL HADDAD
What I am doing is not an adventure, it is a scientific initiative to communicate a message to the world, that nothing is impossible, disability can be transformed. I transformed disability from my body to becoming a state of mind, and I started moving differently.
A devout Orthodox Christian and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Action, Michael's story is a testament to the power of faith and perseverance in overcoming what seem like impossible odds.
JM
