[AUDIENCE CLAPPING]
Our next guest is going to blow you away.
He was born without legs, due to a rare condition that
affects his spine.
But that has not stopped him from becoming
a college wrestler and an inspiration
to everyone who meets him.
From Massillon, Ohio, please welcome Zion Clark and his mom
Kimberly.
[MUSIC - KANYE WEST, "STRONGER"]
N-n-now that, that don't kill me, can only make me stronger.
I need you to hurry up now, cause I can't wait much longer.
I know I got to be right now, cause
I can't get much stronger.
Man, I've been waiting all night now,
that's how long I been on ya.
[MUSIC FADING]
Hi.
Well, oh boy, oh boy.
You're something else.
And, man, you're strong.
Thank you.
I just hugged you and you're like, solid--
solid.
OK, so what was this condition that you-- what do you
call the condition that you were born with?
It is called caudal regression syndrome.
It is a very rare condition.
Only one kid out of 100,000 each year are born with it.
And it is very rare.
There's different stages to it.
Some kids are born with like a big portion of their spine
missing-- or a small portion.
Some are born with legs, this portion missing or not.
I was just born without legs.
A lot of people say it's different,
but it's really just the only thing I know.
Right, of course.
That's all you know.
And probably because of this, you had a tough time
before you were even born?
Yeah, so my mother-- she's really not the greatest.
But it's nothing to be helped.
She was diabetic and also was doing heavy drugs while she
was pregnant with me--
in and out of jail.
She actually got pregnant with me while she was in jail.
She had me and was deemed unfit to take care of me.
So I went to my first couple of homes.
And like, the first couple of homes, they weren't bad--
just a couple of bad things happened,
so I had to be removed.
But then there was other homes where it would get to the point
where I'd be like-- sometimes being starved--
just a lot of bad things.
But I swear-- by God's grace, my mom got ahold of me
and the rest is history.
Yeah.
Yeah--
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
So how did Zion come into your life, Kimberly?
OK, I'm a foster mom.
So they called me one day-- they reached out and said, we have--
I kept all girls.
So they reached out and asked me--
we have a young fellow who--
he exhausted all his resources.
They're about to ship him off to Cincinnati.
So would I consider my criteria to change
to have him be a fit to come stay in my home.
And he went to school with my daughter and foster child--
my regular daughter.
So we're at the Christmas cantata--
I saw him before he even saw me.
He was going across the stage on his hands,
and I was sitting up in the audience.
I was like, oh, that's him--
that's my son.
I just knew he was meant to be mine.
You know, and so when I called--
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
I give God all glory--
the son that I always wanted.
And I didn't have to go through the diaper stages.
I got the fun stuff.
So we reached out and we told them, let's do this.
And they brought them to my house and--
And he's your--
The rest is history.
You know?
OK.
And man, to have such a loving mother--
to have this turn out-- because I think you--
you are speaking to a lot of kids
out there that are in the foster system, or wherever--
and getting bounced around.
And to say you were beaten and starved
and everything that happened to you--
you came through it.
And now you have a loving family and you're
successful and happy.
And I think that's the message we
want to say to kids out there that are in a bad situation--
cause you can get through that.
And how did you start wrestling?
I was about seven, eight years old.
My art teacher, he was actually the wrestling coach
at the time--
came up to me and he's like, hey you look
like you could be a wrestler.
I didn't know what it was.
So I took the flyer home, back to my foster parents.
They took me to the practice--
I didn't know what I was doing.
I had no clue what I was doing, actually.
And then I worked really hard over the summer
between junior and senior year--
ended up going the first 18 matches
of my season, undefeated.
And ended my season 33 wins and 15 losses.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
Whoo!
You must be so proud--
I am.
--to watch him compete.
I mean, I'm sure people see him walk in there and they're like,
well I'm going to for sure win.
And then you see him just get these guys.
Like it's--
Yes.
Well, I'm sitting in the audiences
at his wrestling matches.
You know, I'm always ear hustling.
Cause people-- you know they never saw someone without legs
wrestle before.
So he'll come out and they're sitting there like,
what-- that guy doesn't have any legs, what
is he getting ready to do.
And I'm thinking to myself, you guys don't know Zion,
but you're getting ready to learn today.
You know?
Yeah.
It's amazing.
And you're going and you're visiting other schools--
and so you're talking and inspiring other kids?
Yeah, so I'll go around talking to kids.
I really try to go for the schools that
approach me about kids that are going
through a lot of problems.
And I'll talk to these kids.
And a lot of these kids, like, they're really young.
So the first thing is like-- whoa,
you don't have legs, oh my gosh.
And obviously they'll have little questions.
But what my question is to them, I'll ask them like,
are you going through a hard time?
Like, I get right straight to the point.
And sometimes it breaks my heart when a majority of them
all raise their hand.
And what I really try to tell them, I mean,
it's going to be hard-- life's going to be hard.
You got to keep working for it.
And in the end, hard work is going to outwork anything.
Yeah.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
All right, Zion and Kimberly-- we're going to take a break.
More with them when we come back.
We're back, with the incredible Zion and his mother Kimberly.
So it is possible that you're going
to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo?
Yes ma'am.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
So currently in the United States--
for Paralympic Track and Field I am one of the top two 100
meter sprinters in the country.
I like it, it's fast.
And on top of that, I'm in college wrestling.
I'm a national qualifier-- really cool stuff.
And I'm working with a bunch of Olympians-- like great guys.
And what this-- and this is going to sound crazy.
But if I can go to the Paralympics and the regular
Olympics-- like, I wrestle able-bodied men-- like,
probably men that are way bigger than me-- cause,
I'm a really small guy--
able-bodied men, beat them--
I could make history.
I can be the first two-sport athlete--
Paralympic, Olympic-- put them into one
and just do something amazing with it.
Well, you're going to do it.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
You're going to do it.
I'm proud of you.
You just think it--
Yes ma'am.
--and you see it and you're going to do it.
All right, since you're a college athlete,
I can't give you a gift.
That's a stupid rule, but I can't give you anything.
But you have a dream for your mom.
What is your dream?
So I'm in the process--
I'm really trying to make a lot of money, right?
I mean, who doesn't?
And my mom she does way, way too much for me.
Like, I'm so grateful.
If it wasn't for her, I could really just be in a bad place
right now.
And I'm just so grateful.
Like, I don't know what I'd do without her.
And my biggest dream--
I just want to get her a new house,
get her a new car-- just set her up for life
and just give back what she gave to me.
Well, that's a good dream.
I don't have a house, but I do have a car.
And that car over there is yours.
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
Oh my God!
Come on over.
Oh my God!
All right, you are going to love this car.
My friends at Chevy have award-winning, quality cars,
trucks, and SUVs.
This 2019 Chevy Traverse is ready for anything.
It has technology to help you keep on track and all the space
you need.
It's yours.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
Oh my God!
We'll be right back.
Thank you!
Hi, I'm Andy.
Ellen asked me to remind you to subscribe to her channel
so you can see more awesome videos.
Like, videos of me getting scared or saying
embarrassing things--
like ball-pein hammer-- and also some videos
of Ellen and other celebrities-- if you're
into that sort of thing.
Ah!
[BLEEP] God-[BLEEP].