Mark with a great smile

Mark Pollock: Controversy, Struggles & Net Worth

Mark Pollock is a motivational speaker with multiple awards. He is a differently-abled public speaker who is highly influential to other differently-abled people.

Likewise, along with being a motivational speaker, he is a versatile man with multiple previous professions.

Moreover, some of his professions are adventurer, athlete, and rower. Furthermore, Mark is also the first blind person to race to the South Pole.

Mark wasn’t blind since his birth but had lost his right eyesight when he was five.

Likewise, he became completely blind at the age of 22, as he lost his left eyesight.

Mark Pollock
Mark Pollock at an Event

Most importantly, he is a believer and an achiever and is very proud of the person he has developed into.

The Holywood-born Mark is truly one of a kind because of his achievements, despite his physical conditions.

Moreover, Pollock inspires people to overcome adversity and crisis.

From wins to struggles, we will provide you detailed information about the famous Irish. 

Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts about Mark Pollock:

Full Name Mark Pollock
Nickname Pollock, Mark
Date of birth February 29, 1976
Religion Christianity
Nationality Irish
Ethnicity White
Age 48 Years Old
Zodiac sign Aquarius
Chinese Zodiac sign Dragon 
Place of birth Holywood, County Down
Current residence Dublin, Ireland
Hobbies rowing, adventuring, cooking, writing
Food Habit Non – Vegetarian
Sex Male
Father’s name Jonny Pollock
Mother’s name Barbara Pollock
Siblings Not Available
Profession Motivational Speaker (former rower)
Commonwealth Rowing Championships Bronze, Silver (2002)
Active Since 2002
Sponsors Daft
Height 5 ft 7 in
Weight 176.3 lb (80 kg)
Chest size 32″
Biceps size 15″
Waist size 32″
Shoe size 13 (US)
Hair color Not Available
Eye color Not Available
Marital status Married
Wife Simone George
Children Not Available
Net worth $3 Million
Social Media Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube
Merch Unbreakable: The Mark Pollock Story
Last Update March, 2024

Mark Pollock: Early Life, Family, and Education

Mark Pollock was born on February 29, 1976, in Holywood, County Down.

Likewise, Mark was born to his father, Jonny Pollock, and his mother, Barbara Pollock.

Furthermore, Pollock lost the sight of his right eye at the tender age of 5.

As a result, Mark wasn’t allowed to play that many sports to preserve his left eye.

But, Mark was a born winner; despite his disabilities, he was never depressed.

Likewise, Mark went to the Royal Belfast Academical Institution during his childhood; he was a keen rower in his school.

Moreover, later on, he went to Trinity College in Dublin to study Business and Economics as he grew up.

Additionally, he became a champion schools rower and captain of the university’s rowing club.

Mark’s family always believed in Mark since day one and knew that Mark could shine even though he was half-blind.

Things got the worse when Mark lost his left eyesight.

Likewise, Mark got blind, and just a week before his marriage, he fell from a second-story window. 

This action caused much harm to him; for instance, he broke his back, injured his skull, and bleeding occurred in his brain, resulting in paralysis.

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Mark Pollock: Age, Height, and Weight

The international motivator is currently 48 years old.

Moreover, Mark has a height of 5 feet 7 inches and weighs about 80 kilograms.

Furthermore, Mark has 32 inches of the chest, 15 inches of Biceps, and 32 inches of Waist.

In addition, he wears 13 US size shoes.

Mark Pollock: Career

Mark has a versatile career, which might surely amaze many people. Likewise, Pollock has been blind since the age of 22.

After his left retina became detached, he was hopeless and believed that blind people couldn’t live everyday life.

Moreover, Pollock, during his 1st week of blindness, also had suicidal thoughts.

Overcoming the negative vibes and producing positive energy, Pollock continued his career.

Likewise, Pollock attended programs that would help him overcome his disabilities.

Additionally, he left his hometown, went to Dublin with his dog Larry, and searched for jobs.

Likewise, he finally found a job organizing corporate entertainment. Then, in 2002, the versatile man returned to the rowing scene.

Moreover, he was so motivated that he took part in the 2002 Commonwealth Rowing Championships and won a silver and a bronze medal for his country.

Mark in a rowing tournament
Mark in rowing tournament, (First from Left)

Furthermore, he started taking part in various athletic events.

Such as, he took part in six marathons in seven days; additionally, he ran with a sighted partner across the Gobi desert and China in 2003.

Philanthropy

Likewise, Mark is a social worker; thus, he is heavily involved in giving back to the people.

Most importantly, the marathon he ran generated 10,000 euros, later donated to the Sightsavers International charity.

Likewise, Pollock astonishingly raced in the North Pole Marathon on the sixth anniversary of his blindness.

 It doesn’t end here; Mark accepted the challenge to race to the south pole for his 10th anniversary of blindness.

Furthermore, he went to the south pole with his good friends O’Donnell and Solheim.

Likewise, they traveled 770 kilometers, averaging fourteen hours of journey time each day.

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Writing and Television

Pollock wrote a virtual book, Making It Happen. Moreover, in his book, Pollock wrote about his struggles and the attempts to rebuild his life.

Likewise, the book also mentions him running numerous marathons, establishing his own business, and becoming an international public speaker.

Furthermore, Mark made an appearance on the RTÉ One chat show Tubridy Tonight.

Likewise, Mark hosted a documentary series, Yes I Can, broadcasted on Setanta Sports in November 2011.

Mark Pollock: Struggles

The struggle in the life of Mark Pollock never stopped. Firstly, he lost his right eyesight when he was 5.

Secondly, he lost his left eyesight making him completely blind when he reached 22.

Furthermore, Mark suffered a tragic fall from a two story-window and got paralyzed.

Likewise, after falling from a two-story window, Mark broke his back, damaged his skull, and the bleeding inside the brain caused the paralysis.

Mark Pollock: Controversy

Likewise, after Mark was paralyzed, he sued Enda and Madeline Cahill, his friends and owners of the property.

The case was filed against the Cahills, claiming to disregard the “reasonably foreseeable risk.”

Mark filing a case against his friends was a very bold yet reasonable act.

The Cahills made a big mistake in not thinking about this case, as the fall was the cause of his paralysis.

Furthermore, Pollock’s lawyers stated that he had filed a claim to a maximum of £2 million.

Likewise, the Cahills had household insurance; thus, they didn’t have to pay all of the fines themselves.

Mark Pollock: Wife

The humble man, Mark, was very selective since his childhood. In addition, there is not much information about Mark’s past relationship.

Likewise, the man Pollock dated and married Simone George, a then researcher of human rights.

Furthermore, Mark fell and was paralyzed a week before his marriage.

Likewise, Mark’s accident further delayed their marriage, and they finally married in June 2010.

Simeone became a human rights lawyer after years of research.

When Mark got paralyzed, Simeone started finding and connecting people worldwide to fast-track a cure for paralysis.

Mark with his wife
Mark and Simeone posing for a photo

Furthermore, Simeone also helped Mark with his case as she also became a human rights lawyer.

Additionally, the couple hosted a TED Talk together at the TED Conference in Vancouver.

Most importantly, the couple calls themselves partners rather than married.

Simeone has always supported and been together with Mark ever since their marriage.

Likewise, the couple is yet to give birth to a child, but we hope for good news soon!

Mark Pollock: Net Worth 

The versatile and multi-talented Mark has an estimated net worth of $3 Million.

Likewise, most of his income comes from public and motivational speaking.

Furthermore, the demand for Mark in such international conferences is very high; thus, he gets paid too well.

Likewise, Mark has also earned some money in his sophomore days, winning many rowing tournaments.

Additionally, he participated in marathons to run in the North and the South pole; he generated some funds. Moreover, he kept some to himself and donated some.

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Mark Pollock: Awards and Achievements

Some of Mark Pollocks’ prestigious awards are:

  • 2002 Commonwealth Rowing Championships Bronze and Silver in Rowing
  • Official TEDx Speaker
  • Young Global Leader
  • Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast
  • 2012 Rehab People of the Year Award

Mark Pollock: Social Media presence

Firstly, Mark is active on Twitter, with over 14.9K Followers.

Similarly, the adventurer is also active on Facebook, with over 11k people following him.

Likewise, he also has an Instagram account, in which he has over 6.8k followers.

Further, Mark also has a Youtube channel. Moreover, the versatile Irish posts about memories, current scenarios, and various health-related stuff.

Mark Pollock: Facts

  • Mark tried suicide twice, and from failing to suicide, he gained motivation to live.
  • Mark’s wife, Simeone, also helped him fight his court case; she is also a catalyst for global collaboration between groundbreaking scientists creating a paralysis cure.
  • Mark has a trust named the Mark Pollock Trust, which helps cure paralysis.
  • Mark’s trust has generated $1 billion for the worthy cause of curing paralysis.
  • Likewise, Mark is the first blind person to run on both South and North pole.
  • Mark also lies on the list of the top blind adventure athlete.

Mark Pollock: FAQs

When and what did Mark and Simeone talk at TED?

Mark and his wife went to Ted in September 2018. Likewise, it was published on September 28 on YouTube.

Furthermore, it has over 97k views on YouTube and over 1.9 million views on Ted’s official site.

Mark and Simeone talked about their love story and their struggles in life during the TEDx Show.

Was Mark blind from childhood or later became blind?

No, Mark wasn’t blind from birth.

Likewise, he lost the sight of his right eye when he was just five; continuing his struggle, he always was positive and a straightforward thinker.

Furthermore, he became blind as he lost his left eyesight when he was 22.

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