In his talk Andy tells us about his life journey - from being paralyzed to walking again - and explains how he found a sense of solace and purpose in recycling and repurposing materials into functional art, effectively giving them a second life, the same way he was given a second life.

A spinal injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. But Andy Kirchner would not accept the neurologist’s prognosis and took matters in his own hands. Beating adversity Andy went from standing up from his wheelchair, to walking with two crutches and eventually even walking without cane. He literally willed himself into a second life.

And in the process, found a way to give second life to both other people and other things. A gesture for which he was awarded the JCI IOBA Aspiring Creative Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in July 2015.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx