About Mike Armstrong
My name is Mike Armstrong. I am totally blind. I am also a karate teacher, professional drummer, husband, father, published author, public speaker, and Kilimanjaro climber.
I lost my eyesight in October of 1996. It was due to a disease that made my retinas very susceptible to tearing. I had known about this eye problem for ten years, but I never thought it would take my sight. At age twenty-two I lost the vision in my right eye. My doctor warned me: give up all contact sports, especially the Martial Arts, or go totally blind.
I tried to stop training for about three months. It sent me into such a depression that I knew I would not be happy without it. In October of 1996, a tear in my left eye made the decision for me.
The night before my surgery, I went outside to watch what could be my last sunset. Arizona is known for beautiful sunsets. I spent ten minutes taking in the view and was about to go inside when I realized this might be the last time. I stopped. For the first time in my life, I made the beauty of our world my priority. Those colors are still vivid in my mind today.
Life After Sight
After losing my vision, I had to learn how to do almost everything again. It took about six months before I felt independent. Then came the question every newly blind person faces: where do I work?
The answer came from my passions. I had always wanted to play drums and train in martial arts, so I took a chance and opened my own school: Blind Tiger Martial Arts Academy. It was one of the best decisions of my life. Without that school, I would never have met my wife Tori, climbed Kilimanjaro, or become an inspirational speaker.
Tori and I have three wonderful children — Shayla, Justin, and Jadyn. Being a father is an adventure in itself.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Through the Foundation for Blind Children, I connected with Cindy Ross, director of their Adult Services program. She asked me a question that changed my life: did I want to join a group of visually impaired people climbing Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa?
My first thought was: are you crazy?
My second thought was: I'm in.
We spent a year training, hiking over 300 miles together. Each blind climber had two sighted guides. My technique: a guide in front of me ringing a bear bell, while I followed the sound and used trekking poles to confirm my footing. Our expedition leader was Kevin Cherilla, a member of Eric Weihenmeyer's Everest team.
On June 29, 2009, I stood at 19,340 feet at the highest point in Africa with twenty-four of my best friends — seven of them blind. I learned more about myself in those eight days than in the eight years after losing my sight.
The Arizona Trail & The Blind Ride
In 2011, I completed the Arizona Trail — 800 miles of wilderness stretching from the Mexican border through the heart of Arizona. The hike drew national media attention. I wasn't done.
In September 2012, my partner Scot "Scoob" Schmidt and I rolled out of Lordsburg, New Mexico on a tandem bicycle. Route: 376 miles west along Interstate 10 through Tucson and Gila Bend, finishing at the California border near Yuma. We called it The Blind Ride.
Day one: 99.2 miles, 12 more than planned, fighting headwinds. Day four: we crossed the state line. Every mile raised money for the Foundation for Blind Children.
The Takeaway
"The only true handicap any of us have is the lack of motivation." — Mike Armstrong
Blindness challenges me every day. I do my best to treat it as an adventure, not a hardship. When I share these stories, I want people to see that there is always a way to appreciate life and push beyond what they think is possible.
