Eurovision star Sam Ryder hits the heights for Ottobock human empowerment campaign

Ottobock has launched #IAmAMountain, its first human empowerment brand campaign, with the help of Eurovision pop star Sam Ryder. The campaign unites and empowers people with disabilities across the world thanks to the life-celebrating anthem Mountain, which was written specifically for the campaign by the British musician.

The campaign brings together user-generated content from 26 users of Ottobock in 14 countries, including several Paralympic athletes: Italy’s Bebe Vio and Alessandro Ossola, Germany’s Johannes Floors and Heinrich Popow, Spain’s Desirée Vila Bargiela, Japan’s Tomomi Tozawa, and USA’s Ezra Frech.

Ottobock is a Worldwide Paralympic Partner. The global health tech brand specialises in creating prostheses, orthoses, and wheelchairs for athletes. Additionally, at the Paralympic Games, it runs the Ottobock Technical Repair Service Centre, where an international team of technicians provide free technical and repair services to all Paralympic athletes who need it. 

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Sharing personal stories

Ryder, who shot to fame when he finished second for the United Kingdom in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, debuted Mountain, at the grand finale of this year’s Eurovision alongside Queen drummer Roger Taylor. He was joined onstage by a chorus of people with disabilities, who were the visual embodiment of the song that gives courage to anyone facing adversity.

When writing the song for the #IAmAMountain campaign, Ryder was inspired by the personal stories of people who use products from Ottobock. 

Commenting on the song, Ryder said: “Mountain celebrates perseverance and is intended to give courage to all who need it. It is all about growing in the face of loss, grief or darkness and becoming as strong as a mountain. And then looking back with pride and new zest for life on how you have overcome what life has thrown in your way.” 

As part of the campaign, stars of the video will be sharing their personal moments on social media – including the highs and lows. Alongside Ryder, they are inviting everyone to join in the conversation by asking “What have you overcome?” calling for others to share their personal experiences under the hashtag #IAmAMountain. 

Martin Böhm, Chief Experience Officer at Ottobock said, “Sam Ryder is the perfect voice and partner for our campaign. His involvement will help us overcome so many barriers, just as his Eurovision performance was a moment of real visibility and representation for people with disabilities in front of an audience of millions. We will be taking this approach to the next level with our #IAmAMountain campaign. 

“By inviting people with disabilities to share their stories, we hope to change society’s perception and instead, celebrate all the things that are possible in life. This exactly describes our brand essence as a Human Empowerment Company.”

Meet the stars of the campaign

In addition to the Paralympic athletes, at the heart of the new campaign are several unstoppable Ottobock users and their moving stories.

The stars of the campaign include (but are not limited to):

• Dima Aktaa (UK) is a Para athlete. She grew up in Syria and made her way to the UK as a refugee in 2017. Her left leg was injured severely in a bomb attack that it had to be amputated. When she was 18 years old, she got her first prosthesis and started to learn to walk again. In 2022, the BBC recognised her achievements and social involvement by including her in its annual list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.

• Gina Ruhl (Germany) calls herself the “one-armed princess”. She lost her left arm in a motorcycle accident in 2019 and has since worn a bebionic prosthetic hand. As runner-up in the Miss Germany beauty pageant, model and motivational speaker, she wants to inspire and give courage to other people and to break down conventional beauty standards. Alongside Aktaa, Ruhl was also one of the performers on stage with Ryder for his moving performance at the Eurovision final.

• Hari Budha Magar (UK) made mountaineering history on 19 May 2023 when he became the first person with both legs amputated above the knee to climb the 8,848 metres to the summit of Mount Everest. Born in Nepal, he joined the British Army at the age of 19 and served for almost 15 years before losing both legs in 2010 in a bomb explosion. Hari hopes that his personal story will help to inspire others: “I hope that my achievement of climbing Everest will help change the way people with disabilities are viewed. I want to encourage everyone to ascend the mountain of their choice.” 

• Zainab Al-Eqabi (United Arab Emirates) lost her left leg when she was seven years old due to injuries sustained in a bomb blast. Today, the qualified pharmacist stands up for the rights of people with disabilities as TV presenter, influencer (with 1.7 million followers on Instagram) and cover model of Vogue Arabia. 

• Brandon Todd (USA) is an entrepreneur, athlete, fashionista and motivational speaker from Georgia. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2017 and has worn a C-Leg microprocessor knee ever since. He shares his successes and challenges on his TikTok account and has become a role model for many people who live with physical disabilities.

Visit the campaign website for more information.