John Denner plays lead guitar. He plays it with astounding precision and fiery passion. But that's not the reason John Denner is a hero. There are many people who play guitar. Maybe even a few of them are as good as John.
But John plays the guitar without a right hand. It's not a gimmick. He was born that way.
Certainly, anyone with a disability who makes it in this world deserves respect and appreciation. But John goes beyond what most of us consider courageous. All his life John has dealt with — and broken — the barriers of physical limitation.




Growing up in Hamburg Germany, John Denner was determined to join his friends in games and sports. In a constant battle to overcome his fears and doubts, John excelled at baseball, became a gifted sketch artist, and mastered every video game he tried. But it was his love of the guitar that would prove to be his biggest obstacle and his most poignant triumph.

John doesn't read music. He taught himself to play lead guitar by listening to Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption;" one of the hardest guitar solos in rock history. He trained himself to hear deeply, to "feel" every variation in sound and then find a way to translate it into technique. It's possible that reading music might not have produced such a profound aptitude. But regardless of the path, before John could try one chord or pick one note, he had to figure out a way to play without a right hand.

John dreamed of getting a prosthetic hand. Playing the guitar didn't seem remotely possible without one. A well known manufacturer once gave him the opportunity to try one, and for a few glorious hours, John believed he would master the guitar at last. Sadly, John's dream of a full hand was never realized. Crushed by skyrocketing costs and uncooperative insurance companies, John put his guitar down for nearly 10 years.

But even after a decade, the longing to play just wouldn't die. John could feel it in his bones. He was meant to play the guitar. He was meant to overcome this.

And so one day ... he did.

On his own — without help from insurance companies or high-tech prosthetics — John found a way to live his dream. He invented a sleeve that fit over the end of his right arm; a sleeve that could hold a pick. Once he was comfortable strumming the guitar, he began at last to explore the instrument he loved.

Today, in his thirties, John is being celebrated as one of the most electrifying guitar players in rock today

But that's not the reason John Denner is a hero either.

In the first flush of public acclaim, John didn't just savor his own success. After realizing he really had done the impossible, his next move was to share. A heart that opened so deeply to feel music, immediately connected to the anguish of those with similar challenges. He knew what it was to live with doubt. He wanted every one with limb loss to know they didn't have to suffer. He wanted to tell them not to give up their dreams, no matter how improbable they might seem.

Looking for a way to get his message out, John immediately involved himself with the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). As a volunteer, John will serve at a youth camp, helping young people deal with limb loss and birth defects. As an advocate, John joins the ACA in petitioning for insurance reform. State by state ... legislature by legislature ... the fight is on to uniformly mandate insurance coverage for upper body prosthetics. John and the ACA want insurance companies to reclassify upper body prosthetics from "cosmetic and not covered" to "fully covered" as vital to the health of all who suffer limb loss or birth defect.

In December of 2007, John joined the extraordinary staff and volunteers of Operation First Response (OFR) for a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. OFR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing personal and financial assistance to our nation's wounded heroes and their families. John plans to go back often, to offer support, encouragement, even guitar lessons. And jam with other fellow musicians he met there.

John is determined that no one ... no child, no veteran ... should have to experience another moment, let alone a decade, of despair. He wants to do whatever he can to end the pain of believing that life has to be less, if one is not whole.

John Denner is a hero because he has an all-embracing, courageous heart.

John Denner is a hero because he believes his victory should be everyone's victory.

If we are strong, our challenges teach us resourcefulness. But if we are lucky, our pain teaches us compassion.

John Denner is an inspiration to us all.
http://www.JohnDennerRocks.com




Written by Karen Judd




of The My Hero Project