About Kevin

About Kevin Olson & His Book “Learning to LIVE With It”

After his hopes and dreams were shattered by one seemingly small decision to dive off a boat dock at the age of 19, Kevin Olson looks at life from a place he never expected or wanted to be; totally paralyzed from the shoulders down, sitting in a chair that he drives by blowing and sucking in a straw, typing his book one letter at a time with a mouth stick. Kevin never wanted to be in a wheelchair and he never wanted to be a writer.

Shortly after his accident, Kevin was forced to make another choice that would also alter the course of his life. How was he going to respond to the doctor’s declaration that he would never walk again?

Like many of us do, Kevin struggled to accept his unwanted, seemingly unchangeable circumstances. It was not a quick, easy process; however, God used many truths, people and experiences to help him learn to respond positively in faith. He learned to not only accept paralysis, but to really “live with” his unwanted circumstances and to inspire others to do the same thing. His life motto has become: “Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are, and don’t worry about the rest.”

Kevin is a 50 year-old motivational speaker, he lives in Oswego, KS., with his wife Janna. In 2013 he published his first book, “Learning to LIVE with it.” The inspiration for Kevin’s book title, as well as a big part of his book, came from his three year old brother’s response to a bird pooping on Kevin’s shoulder. After refusing to wipe it off, he kindly reminded Kevin of one of the first truths we learn about life. There are times we just have to learn to accept our unwanted circumstances and learn to “live with it.”