The Crutch of Success: From Polio to Purpose, Bringing Health & Hope to the World

Steve’s story is one of incredible resilience and the work of MAP International inspires many to join the global movement to bring critical medicines to those in need. -- Jimmy Carter

Do you believe God can use you to change the world? Or do you think you’re not gifted enough, exceptional enough, or good enough? Meet Steve Stirling. Crippled by polio when he was just a baby and abandoned at a Korean orphanage when he was six, Steve was an unlikely candidate to change the world. But when you read the story of how God has used this humble man to impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of children all across the globe, you’ll believe that God can use you too. Prepare to be amazed at what God can do with just one person’s obedience. -- Richard Stearns

The Crutch of Success is a wonderful story of Steve and the life the Lord gave him. We have seen him, his lovely wife, and their two talented children at various times over the years. It is thrilling to know that he is the CEO of MAP, which has helped us back when we needed them. I am sure anyone who reads this book will be sincerely touched by the way the Lord has led Steve over the years. -- Molly Holt

We hear that the purpose of life is a life of purpose. It seems remote as a saying until you meet a person with a purpose-driven life. Steve Stirling is such a person. To see him shrug off disabilities, as if they didn’t exist, and then focus on preventing others from suffering from disabilities of all kinds, is a lesson for all seeking purpose in their own lives. As the head of MAP, Steve is daily involved in providing medicines and medical supplies to health workers around the world. These are daily redemptive acts of a person who lives a life of gratitude. This inspirational book describes how he has achieved a positive attitude, despite abandonment and disabilities that could have left a lesser person bitter and unproductive. -- William H. Foege, MD, MPH

Steve is an Asian hero and role model of challenge. I have known him for twenty years. By faith in God, he has overcome his orphan life with a disabled body by challenging all of his obstacles in his difficult life journey. His life is a living testimony today. Also, his leadership at MAP is outstanding and making a difference all over the world. -- Rev. Byeongho Choi

Rotary International has been on a journey since the early 1980s to eradicate polio. There is not a more dedicated Rotarian who represents that journey as well as Steve Stirling. It is time for his story to be immortalized in writing, and all who read it will be motivated to reach beyond the barriers they encounter in their lives. It is a terrific story that will inspire us all. -- John Hewko

Having known Steve personally and professionally for over nineteen years, I can attest to his courage, determination, sincerity, and faith. His story is one which inspires and shows his God-given purpose to serve. We witness his servant leadership at MAP International daily. -- Jim Barfoot

Steve Stirling is a remarkable success story, a story that would be hard to believe if it weren’t true. The Crutch of Success tells his story well. It is an inspiring journey of a polio-stricken child in a small Korean orphanage to success in business and success in life. -- Andrew Young

Steve Stirling is a winner! Being with him in the Agalta Valley region of Honduras when MAP International delivered their five billionth donation in medicines was an amazing moment. The health and overall well-being of not only this Honduran community, but also other communities worldwide, would not be possible without Steve’s dedication to his work. His inspiring life story is about the journey it takes to make triumphs out of obstacles and turn losses into wins. -- Vince Dooley

“If only I’d been given a sixty-cent dose of polio vaccine, none of this would have happened.…”
Born in Korea in 1956 soon after the end of the Korean War, Steve Stirling was stricken with polio at age one. Five years later, marital and financial struggles caused his father to abandon him at an orphanage. Shortly afterward, his three-year-old sister was left there as well.
The Crutch of Success tells Steve’s incredible story of early years in the orphanage, his adoption into a large, loving family in Alaska, and his determination to succeed. He earned degrees at Cornell and Northwestern universities, married the woman who was literally the answer to his prayers, and climbed the corporate ladder with several Fortune 500 companies.
Steve seemed to have it all…but his ambition was detrimental to his health, his family, and his soul.
Then God touched Steve and asked him to spend his life helping those in need. All of the experiences of his life, even polio, have prepared him for his role at MAP International—to bring life-saving medicines and health supplies to millions around the world.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Steve Stirling is CEO of Medical Assistance Programs International (MAP), a faith-based nonprofit providing essential medicines for mission clinics and hospitals in developing countries around the world. Since 1954, MAP has served billions of people with medicines and medical supplies through the help of partners, donors, mission hospitals, clinics, and medical mission teams.
Steve earned his B.S. degree in agricultural economics at Cornell University and his MBA in marketing and finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. After holding marketing positions at several corporations for more than two decades, he began to work for nonprofit organizations in June 2001. A turning point in his life came when Steve attended a weekend Christian men’s retreat and heard a sermon about giving glory to God.
Steve and his wife, Sook Hee, have two children and make their home in Brunswick, Georgia.