Courage & Overcoming Disability: Patrick Kane – Young TED Speaker & Young Ambassador Inspiring Leadership with Jonathan Bowman-Perks

“Patrick Kane is a public speaker, ambassador, disabled persons’ advocate and healthcare communications company account executive.

Patrick became a triple amputee after a 3-month battle with meningococcal septicaemia when he was just 9 months old. Ever since then he has spent his time talking with others about what it means to be disabled and what others may be able to learn from his experiences. Patrick went to school in North London, where he never allowed himself to be discriminated against. One notable exception to this came when he was 13 years old and he was told he could not play rugby due to the potential damage his prosthetic leg may cause other children. Determined to not let this get in his way, Patrick decided to play the rest of the game without his leg on. It may not have worked but it proves how far he is willing to go to make his point (even if he doesn’t recommend it!) and he has taken this attitude into all aspects of his life ever since. In 2010 Patrick became the youngest person in the world to be fitted with a revolutionary bionic arm, and is an ambassador for both the UK Sepsis Trust and Össur. In 2012, he was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through Trafalgar Square.

Patrick graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2020 with a degree in biochemistry and is currently pursuing a career working for Havas Life Medicom as an account executive. Outside of work, Patrick speaks for audiences which have included TEDxTeen, WIRED: Next Generation and even appeared in an advert for Apple in 2014 for its Worldwide Developers Conference. In 2018 he wrote an article titled “Being bionic: how technology transformed my life” for the Long Read in The Guardian. He has also appeared on other media platforms such as BBC Radio 4, Korean Broadcasting Systems, Sky News and Fox Business.

While the theme is often related to disability, Patrick’s speaking appeals to audiences from all backgrounds (and abilities) because of the emphasis he places on changing the world you live in by changing your perception of it.

His Leadership tip – opportunity is the result of how you perceive your current situation.”

Links to the mentioned organisations:

My personal website: https://www.ptjkane.com/

Össur: https://www.ossur.co.uk/

UK Sepsis Trust: <https://sepsistrust.org/