Grant McCartney first appeared on the NBC reality show "American Ninja Warrior" back in 2015. Eight years and eight seasons later, the Island Ninja is still putting his skills to the test.
McCartney moved to Hawaiʻi from Tennessee. When he's not training, he works for Hawaiian Airlines.
He said personal tragedy has made him realize how important it is to uplift others.
"Most of my family passed away in a very short period of time," he said. "It's been eight years and it's different now."
"In those moments when that happened, I wanted my main thing for people to understand is that it's tough and there's certain things that are just going to hurt. ... Some things can only be solved through community support," he added.
You can watch McCartney compete on American Ninja Warrior this month on NBC.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 1, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. This interview was adapted for the web by Emily Tom.
