Donovan Tildesley
Donovan Tildesley is a 29-year-old Vancouver native. He has a BA in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, and works full-time as an insurance broker.
He is also an accomplished swimmer who has traveled the world extensively. In the winter, he loves nothing better than to rip down double-black Diamonds on Blackcomb Mountain.
He has a passion for radio, and was the co-founder of two radio stations in Whistler. Many have said that Donovan has accomplished much in his 26 years. But there's one more thing you should know about him ... Donovan is totally blind, and has been since birth. Donovan was born with a condition known as Leiber's Amaurosis, which left him without retinas.
Despite this fact, his parents were determined to expose him to any and all activities that a sighted child would be a part of. They first put him in the pool before he was six months old, and by age nine, he had joined his first swim team. Three years later, at a provincial competition in Kamloops, he first heard about the Paralympics.
Intrigued, the then twelve-year-old Donovan made it his mission to one day compete in the Games. Four years later, that childhood dream became a reality! Donovan joined the national team at age sixteen, where he competed in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, winning a bronze medal in the 200 m individual medley (IM).
Donovan's first splash onto the international stage marked the beginning of an illustrious fourteen-year career in the pool. Coached by his father, Dr. Hugh Tildesley, career highlights included five Golds and one Silver medal at the 2002 IPC World Championships, participating in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, multiple gold medals at the 2007 Para PanAmerican Games, two silvers and one bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Having retired from competition in 2014, Donovan now focuses his energies on building his book of clients as a General Insurance Agent, as well as inspiring audiences of all ages to overcome their own life's challenges.
Donovan Tildesley is a 29-year-old Vancouver native. He has a BA in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, and works full-time as an insurance broker.
He is also an accomplished swimmer who has traveled the world extensively. In the winter, he loves nothing better than to rip down double-black Diamonds on Blackcomb Mountain.
He has a passion for radio, and was the co-founder of two radio stations in Whistler. Many have said that Donovan has accomplished much in his 26 years. But there's one more thing you should know about him ... Donovan is totally blind, and has been since birth. Donovan was born with a condition known as Leiber's Amaurosis, which left him without retinas.
Despite this fact, his parents were determined to expose him to any and all activities that a sighted child would be a part of. They first put him in the pool before he was six months old, and by age nine, he had joined his first swim team. Three years later, at a provincial competition in Kamloops, he first heard about the Paralympics.
Intrigued, the then twelve-year-old Donovan made it his mission to one day compete in the Games. Four years later, that childhood dream became a reality! Donovan joined the national team at age sixteen, where he competed in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, winning a bronze medal in the 200 m individual medley (IM).
Donovan's first splash onto the international stage marked the beginning of an illustrious fourteen-year career in the pool. Coached by his father, Dr. Hugh Tildesley, career highlights included five Golds and one Silver medal at the 2002 IPC World Championships, participating in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, multiple gold medals at the 2007 Para PanAmerican Games, two silvers and one bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Having retired from competition in 2014, Donovan now focuses his energies on building his book of clients as a General Insurance Agent, as well as inspiring audiences of all ages to overcome their own life's challenges.
STEP OUT THINK BIG!
Despite being blind since birth, Donovan Tildesley has never let his disability impede upon his life. Whether it be swimming for Canada, skiing double-black diamond runs, or trying his hand at the game of golf, Donovan thrives on stepping out of his comfort zone to take on new challenges. This humorous yet down-to-earth keynote will inspire your audience to take a different outlook when it comes to viewing life's challenges and encourage everyone to Step Out of the comfort zone and Think...
