SOUTH WAYNE - The gazes of 32 students at Black Hawk Elementary were fixed on a screen at the front of the library Friday, which displayed landscape photos of icebergs, penguins and even one shot of Shawn and Patrick Faessler, attached by a long rope, hiking the side of a mountain in the Antarctic Peninsula.
The expedition, which lasted roughly 18 days from southern Wisconsin to Antarctica and back, began when Brodhead graduate Shawn asked one question.
"I was looking for some volunteer work to do," Shawn said. "I talked to my prosthetist, the guy who works on my prosthetic leg, and asked him what kind of suggestions he had. He just threw that out, thinking I'd never go down there."
But just months later, Shawn was in Guatemala, using his knowledge as a mechanical engineer to help create prosthetics for people in underserved countries. He joined Range of Motion Project, which is a nonprofit organization with a mission "to provide high quality prosthetic care ... which enhances mobility and unlocks human potential," according to its website.
Shawn noted through collaborative work, prosthetics which would cost $10,000 to $20,000 in the United States can be made for roughly $500.
Shawn is now a resident of Hartland, northwest of Waukesha, but he grew up with a Juda address, attending Brodhead High School. At 29, while driving a motorcycle near Hartland, he was hit by a car. Shawn lost his left leg as a result of the collision. After recovering and learning to walk again, he wanted to help others with similar mobility problems. By aiding ROMP, Shawn said he has seen the benefits such tools can provide in less than a year.
The public charity helps fundraise through events like mountain climbing. He said the purpose of the trip was to prove that people with disabilities are capable of any feat a person who doesn't require a prosthetic can do. Shawn was told ROMP volunteers had climbed a mountain on nearly every continent. Antarctica was the only exception, and he wanted to be the first to do it.
He began to fundraise Aug. 1 through the nonprofit website Crowdrise, using #Antarctica4Romp to raise awareness of his plans to spend Thanksgiving in the southernmost continent on the globe. He was planning to spend the time on a solo trip, but his father, Pat, thought differently.
"He couldn't think of anybody to go with him, not a soul," Pat said. "So he was going to go by himself. Until I volunteered."
When Shawn asked why his father volunteered, Pat said he was fulfilling his duties as a parent.
"I didn't want you to get in trouble, injured, hurt or lost or scared," Pat said.
"I saw an opportunity for a vacation, that's the real story," he added with a smile.
But while the trip began as a way to raise awareness, and eventually more than $12,000 for 21 prosthetic legs, it became a bonding experience for father and son. Shawn's mother, Linda Faessler, said Pat recently survived lymphatic cancer. Looking to enjoy the adventure, Pat spent time with his son kayaking and trudging through a snow-filled landscape, touring the small research stations filled with historical memorabilia.
"I got to know him on a different level because it was just me and him," Shawn said. "Whereas, any other events, it's family or working on the farm or doing other things. I learned more about him on this trip just because we spent so much time together. We can share the story with lots of other people too, which is really fun."
The duo did share their tale, which involved a bus trip, two plane rides and a sea voyage on a former Russian research vessel with ice breaking capabilities to reach the peninsula. They told the third-graders about visiting Ushuaia, Argentina, which is known as "Fin del Mundo," or "The End of the World" and braving hurricane weather. From there, they sailed to Antarctica. Pat noted he did not suffer seasickness as the boat was tossed by tall waves. Shawn was not as lucky.
The students had been learning about the continent in a special unit by reading books and watching a film. Pat and Shawn showed them photos of penguins building nests and answered more than a dozen questions about the excursion.
Though Shawn was initially hesitant about the difficulty of climbing a mountain, he said "it turned out to be less of a challenge" than he thought, so he signed up for the Pewaukee Spring Triathlon and plans to compete July 8. Shawn said he now owns a running blade, trains on his bike and is currently learning to swim.
The expedition, which lasted roughly 18 days from southern Wisconsin to Antarctica and back, began when Brodhead graduate Shawn asked one question.
"I was looking for some volunteer work to do," Shawn said. "I talked to my prosthetist, the guy who works on my prosthetic leg, and asked him what kind of suggestions he had. He just threw that out, thinking I'd never go down there."
But just months later, Shawn was in Guatemala, using his knowledge as a mechanical engineer to help create prosthetics for people in underserved countries. He joined Range of Motion Project, which is a nonprofit organization with a mission "to provide high quality prosthetic care ... which enhances mobility and unlocks human potential," according to its website.
Shawn noted through collaborative work, prosthetics which would cost $10,000 to $20,000 in the United States can be made for roughly $500.
Shawn is now a resident of Hartland, northwest of Waukesha, but he grew up with a Juda address, attending Brodhead High School. At 29, while driving a motorcycle near Hartland, he was hit by a car. Shawn lost his left leg as a result of the collision. After recovering and learning to walk again, he wanted to help others with similar mobility problems. By aiding ROMP, Shawn said he has seen the benefits such tools can provide in less than a year.
The public charity helps fundraise through events like mountain climbing. He said the purpose of the trip was to prove that people with disabilities are capable of any feat a person who doesn't require a prosthetic can do. Shawn was told ROMP volunteers had climbed a mountain on nearly every continent. Antarctica was the only exception, and he wanted to be the first to do it.
He began to fundraise Aug. 1 through the nonprofit website Crowdrise, using #Antarctica4Romp to raise awareness of his plans to spend Thanksgiving in the southernmost continent on the globe. He was planning to spend the time on a solo trip, but his father, Pat, thought differently.
"He couldn't think of anybody to go with him, not a soul," Pat said. "So he was going to go by himself. Until I volunteered."
When Shawn asked why his father volunteered, Pat said he was fulfilling his duties as a parent.
"I didn't want you to get in trouble, injured, hurt or lost or scared," Pat said.
"I saw an opportunity for a vacation, that's the real story," he added with a smile.
But while the trip began as a way to raise awareness, and eventually more than $12,000 for 21 prosthetic legs, it became a bonding experience for father and son. Shawn's mother, Linda Faessler, said Pat recently survived lymphatic cancer. Looking to enjoy the adventure, Pat spent time with his son kayaking and trudging through a snow-filled landscape, touring the small research stations filled with historical memorabilia.
"I got to know him on a different level because it was just me and him," Shawn said. "Whereas, any other events, it's family or working on the farm or doing other things. I learned more about him on this trip just because we spent so much time together. We can share the story with lots of other people too, which is really fun."
The duo did share their tale, which involved a bus trip, two plane rides and a sea voyage on a former Russian research vessel with ice breaking capabilities to reach the peninsula. They told the third-graders about visiting Ushuaia, Argentina, which is known as "Fin del Mundo," or "The End of the World" and braving hurricane weather. From there, they sailed to Antarctica. Pat noted he did not suffer seasickness as the boat was tossed by tall waves. Shawn was not as lucky.
The students had been learning about the continent in a special unit by reading books and watching a film. Pat and Shawn showed them photos of penguins building nests and answered more than a dozen questions about the excursion.
Though Shawn was initially hesitant about the difficulty of climbing a mountain, he said "it turned out to be less of a challenge" than he thought, so he signed up for the Pewaukee Spring Triathlon and plans to compete July 8. Shawn said he now owns a running blade, trains on his bike and is currently learning to swim.