![\"AMPetcoParkBioShotweb\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/AMPetcoParkBioShotweb.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cMy uncle then said, \u2018I have a two-year-old nephew in Medell\u00edn, Colombia, who is a triple amputee and really needs help,\u2019\u201d Montoya explained. \u201cHarvey arranged for me to visit the United States with my mother and get fit for prosthetics on both my arms and my right leg. By the time I reached age four, my parents made the decision that I should live in the U.S. with my aunt and uncle, in order to receive ongoing medical care and go to school. I’ve been here ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks to that fortuitous meeting 38 years ago, today Montoya, a 2014 Disability Awareness Month Local Hero, is a thriving member of the San Diego community. He is the Manager of Latino Affairs for the San Diego Padres and a published author, blogger and motivational speaker. He also is a sharp, upbeat kind of guy who, more than anything, considers himself blessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy faith is the cornerstone of who I am and drives everything else,\u201d he said. \u201cHelping me overcome my tough times, it really changed my perspective and outlook. I’m just very enthusiastic about life.\u201d<\/p>\n Montoya has lived all his life as a triple amputee, a result of his mother taking Thalidomide while pregnant. Thalidomide is a medication known for causing birth defects in thousands of babies around the world. Yet, Montoya has never been one to succumb to self-pity and lives by a simple rule.<\/p>\n \u201cFocus on what you have and not on what you’re missing,” he said. \u201cIt’s true for me physically and for everything I have in my life. You need to believe that the best is yet to come, and that good things are going to happen. It\u2019s easy for me to believe that because I\u2019ve seen all my life when things look bleak, things turn around and get better. I\u2019m a firm believer that none of these things would\u2019ve happened in my life if it was for naught, and I believe that everything, including my uncle\u2019s encounter with Harvey, happens for a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Since childhood, Montoya\u2019s goal has been to work in baseball, particularly for the San Diego Padres. Fifteen years ago, that dream came to fruition.<\/p>\n \u201cI started out as an usher, just out of college, escorting people to their seats,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter eight years, they invited me to work in the front office in a full-time position. When they were later looking for someone to really help them engage with the Hispanic community, they looked to me. I love my job and where I\u2019m at today.\u201d<\/p>\n Montoya, who loves to write, has shared his story through the publication of two books, \u201cSwinging for the Fences: Choosing to Live an Extraordinary Life\u201d and \u201cThe Finish Line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Swinging for the fences\u2019 is a major phrase I live by, a metaphor for going for it all, having high goals,\u201d Montoya explained. \u201cIt was my first book, published in 2008, and is an autobiographical story in which I share lessons that I\u2019ve learned and hurdles I\u2019ve overcome. The second book is about doing the 2010 San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon and what it took as a triple amputee to accomplish that.\u201d<\/p>\n Montoya has a weekly blog he calls \u201cAMOtivational Mondays.\u201d In it, he encourages readers to set high goals, fight doubts, dream the impossible \u201cand always keep swinging!\u201d<\/p>\n One of Montoya\u2019s proudest achievements occurred in 1996 when he was a student at University of Notre Dame. He had the opportunity to carry the Olympic Torch for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United Way was given the right by the Olympic Committee to choose the torchbearers, and the Shriners nominated me,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were 10,000 torches in all, but only one flame. I carried my torch in my college town in Indiana. It\u2019s a very elaborate process, and for someone like me, they assigned a helper because the torch is heavy, about 10 lbs. I\u2019ll never forget the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Montoya recognizes it takes great strength to push yourself to live your best life, particularly when you\u2019re living with disabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat many people with disabilities lose sight of is how much they\u2019ve overcome, and how much it\u2019s taken just to live a normal everyday life,\u201d he observed. \u201cYou remind them, \u2018Look, you\u2019ve come this far, don’t stop now.\u2019 They can do whatever they set their minds to. It really is key for them to have someone in front of them who has done that. They really need to see it\u2019s possible. That\u2019s why I go out. I say that with all humility and humbleness. My story can be a good example.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, Montoya shared his message at the Monarch School with children who are homeless. A few days later, while walking Downtown, a girl approached him and mentioned having heard his presentation.<\/p>\n \u201cShe couldn\u2019t have been older than eighth grade,\u201d Montoya recalled. \u201cShe reached into her bag and pulled out a picture on canvas that she had drawn. The caption read, \u2018Alex Montoya, Big and Strong.\u2019 I was moved, as no one had ever said that to me before.<\/p>\n \u201cShe explained, \u2018You came and spoke at my school, and I was really touched. I want to say thank you.\u2019 I hugged her, for it struck me that this is a girl who\u2019s at the Monarch School, she\u2019s got all these challenges and probably feels beat up about life,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact that she\u2019s homeless and has so much she has to deal with, yet she took time to thank me. To me, that said I motivated her to keep going, and know that things are going to be okay, and that she is going to be able to overcome her challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Montoya seems most in his element when talking about baseball. He even uses the sport to explain his philosophy on life.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a guy is at home plate and he\u2019s a batter, if he strikes out, he has to come back the very next day and keep swinging,\u201d he explained. \u201cIf he hits a home run, he still has to come up the very next time and swing again. I like the fact that it\u2019s very comparable to life. It doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019ve had a great day or a horrible day, you’ve got to come back tomorrow and give it all you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n \u201cThat speaks to the American spirit, and why baseball is America\u2019s pastime. No matter what, you’ve got to keep swinging and proving yourself over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>