Photo: Freddie Figgers
This story is almost unbelievable. A man whose mother left him next to a dumpster right after he was born has become an inventor, entrepreneur and telecom millionaire -- all thanks to a loving family and incredible perseverance. Freddie Figgers was adopted by Nathan and Betty Mae Figgers and given all the love a child could need. Regarding his rough start in life, his father told him, Listen, don't ever let that bother you, and he didn't. Nathan Figgers was a handyman, and apparently that rubbed off on young Freddie; at age 9, the child bought a broken Apple Macintosh and, with a soldering gun and parts from a radio alarm clock, he fixed the computer. He was soon repairing computers at his school, then working for the city repairing computers and writing custom software programs, saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. When life handed him challenges, he invented solutions, like a shoe tracking device that helped him keep tabs on his father when he developed Alzheimer's or the smart glucometer he developed after a relative died after falling into a diabetic coma. Freddie's advice for his young daughter is, Never give up, no matter how cold the world may look. He also advised her to try to make a positive impact on the life of every person you encounter.
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