In 1986, Ed Hearn fulfilled his childhood dream as a member of the World Champion New York Mets. The following year with the Kansas City Royals, he was set to make those big "million dollar bank deposits" today's professional athletes are accustomed to, when suddenly, a serious shoulder injury brought a premature end to a very promising and brilliant career.

Less than six months after his baseball career ended, he was diagnosed with three potentially life-threatening health conditions. Once a strong, vibrant professional athlete, he was reduced to a man who could barely care for himself.

Today, after 3 life-saving kidney transplants, dialysis, several bouts with cancer, radiation treatments, the aid of a breathing machine each night, a costly IV treatment once a month, and up to 40 pills per day, this 56-year-old former Major Leaguer has come back with a far greater purpose in life than just that of being a professional athlete.

As the author of a book titled, Conquering Life's Curves – Baseball, Battles & Beyond, Ed has appeared on numerous national television programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The 700 Club and MSNBC. Recently, a Hollywood movie production company acquired the movie rights to Ed's story and a screen play has been scripted.

As the founder of The Bottom of the 9th (a KS 501c3 nonprofit corp.-1998), Ed continues to quietly impact untold number of lives. He challenges both individuals and organizations to embrace the bold challenge of rebuilding the spirit and character of our nation.

In 2001, Ed was the first current or former professional athletes from our country's major league sports to be awarded the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association.

Ed resides in Shawnee, KS with his wife, Trish, and their son, Cody. As if the Hearn's haven't faced enough of life's curves, in November of 2011, during Cody's junior year of high school, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Burkitt's Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Like his dad, he battled hard and today is in full remission.

Ed is very active in various community activities, his church and spends countless hours of his time with the youth of Kansas City. In his spare time, Ed enjoys hunting, fishing, and golf.

Ed Hearn has stepped up to the plate countless times with the "game of life" on the line. He has lived that which most speakers can only talk about. When he speaks about becoming "a champion of life" and overcoming tremendous change and challenges, he speaks from experience.

From the trenches of being a major league catcher to battling life-threatening health issues, Ed Hearn, Certified Speaking Professional (2001), has developed a mental toughness and a well-nurtured perspective that each of us must have in order to be effective in today's demanding climate of rapid change. Yes, he is very entertaining, captivating and motivating, but what makes him so uniquely special is his genuine desire to empower and uplift those around him in a very transparent and personal way. His speaking is simply an extension of his way of life.

In the batter's box of life, Ed Hearn has lived an extreme range of life-changing experiences that make him a perfect fit as a speaker for a wide range of audiences, topics and meeting objectives. He is passionate about taking the nasty curves thrown his way and turning them into homeruns of significance for himself and his fellow teammates in this journey called life. As he often says: "I could have played ten or fifteen years in the big leagues and never have made the impact I am called to have today – not through my strength or greatness, but rather through the humbling of adversities which seeded a perspective and focus on living a life of far greater success and significance."

Gleaming from a lifetime of reaching life's mountain tops, while experiencing the darkness of its deepest valleys, Ed Hearn is the antithesis of today's modern day athletes. Certainly his celebrity status of being a former Major League ballplayer often initially attracts many to ask him to speak, but be it young or old, executive or blue-collar worker, his audiences walk away remembering him not so much as an athlete, but more as a man who has had a dramatic effect on the way they view life – both personally and professionally. They rave about this entertaining, yet warm and very personal "hall of famer in the game of life" has challenged them to step up to plate and swing for the fences regardless of life's curves!