The Extraordinary Power of Kindness: True Stories That Will Enrich, Encourage, and Inspire You (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781974097425)

Bill Schiebler has a ferocious tenacity that reminds people of that rabbit in the Energizer commercials: he just keeps banging away. Those who know Bill, kid him as being not a survivalist, but an overcomer. As a child, he suffered from whooping cough and respiratory illnesses that left him unable to join his friends in team sports, so he played alone out in the fields of his hometown in Wisconsin. When he was old enough, he began biking from one yard job to another with a small wheelbarrow balanced on his handlebars. Somehow, Bill often had eleven yard jobs at once in the small town where he grew up. By the time he was in high school, he was competing in swimming and track. Back in 1965, American involvement in the war over in Vietnam was expanding. Bill had already become a paratrooper in the Army Rangers. He fought in some of the most horrific battles of the war and was wounded multiple times. Schiebler was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor when he carried a North Vietnamese prisoner on his back for over three miles in enemy territory as he struggled to re-enter friendly lines. Schiebler challenged himself at every turn, and doors of opportunity opened to him. He successfully climbed to the summit of the Matterhorn in Switzerland, had a unique meeting with President Dwight Eisenhower and his wife Mamie, and through the years developed lasting friendships with such people as Norman Vincent Peale's wife Ruth Stafford Peale, Zig Ziglar, and General Norman Schwarzkopf, to name just a few. He began noticing some perplexing medical symptoms, though. To his utter dismay, neurologists informed him that he had displayed classic symptoms of multiple sclerosis since eighth grade. He wasn't diagnosed with the illness until 19 years later after being discharged from active duty in the army. Upon receiving his belated diagnosis, Bill was mystified! He had gone through very physically challenging experiences throughout his life while being afflicted with early symptoms of MS. In spite of his physically demanding drawbacks, today he still stays actively involved in the lives of people as a family dispute mediator, helping them to overcome their difficulties just as he has overcome his. Bill continues to write on his blog (www.billschiebler.com) and is working on his next book. He is married, with seven children and 14 grandchildren, and lives in Minnesota.