Sipping Dom Perignon through a straw

Eddie Ndopu was born in 1990 with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare degenerative motor neuron disease affecting his physical mobility, and told that he wouldn’t live beyond age five. Now, thirty-one years old and stronger than ever, he continues to celebrate each year as an existential defiance of the odds. Along the way, he has fought for his education in an archaic and ableist school system, becoming the first disabled African to receive a full scholarship to Oxford University. As a gay, Black and a wheelchair user, Eddie has taken on leadership roles at the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, challenging the biases of those in power. Through his journey, Eddie has redefined the boundaries of identity and ability, proving that true leadership comes not from occupying a particular space, but from breaking the mould entirely.