`Swimming Is When I Feel Least Disabled'.On January 30, 1995, my mom had just driven me home from a normal day at school when I began to feel a lot of pain. I had a headache; all my muscles were aching. I ran into the house, sat down for five minutes stood up, and fell to the floor. My mom had to carry me to the car to take me to the emergency room. I found out that my immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. had malfunctioned for no apparent reason and my spinal cord spinal cord, the part of the nervous system occupying the hollow interior (vertebral canal) of the series of vertebrae that form the spinal column, technically known as the vertebral column. had been damaged. My condition was called acute transverse myelitis Transverse Myelitis Definition Transverse myelitis (TM) is an uncommon neurological syndrome caused by inflammation (a protective response which includes swelling, pain, heat, and redness) of the spinal cord, characterized by weakness, back pain, and . Within a couple of years, I gained enough strength in my legs to be able to walk short distances with support, but I use a wheelchair most of the time. When I was first hospitalized, a doctor told me about sports camps for kids with disabilities. That appealed to me because I had always been extremely active in sports and swam all year round. Three years later, I competed in swimming in the nationals for disabled athletes and did very well. At that point, I decided to aim for the Paralympics, an international competition every four years for disabled athletes that is the equivalent of the Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. for able-bodied athletes. This year, the Paralympics will take place in Sydney, Australia, from October 18 to 29, just after the Olympic Games there. I hope to be at the Paralympics as a member of the U.S. swim team. I live in Aurora, Colorado The City of Aurora is the third most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 59th most populous city in the United States.[5] The municipality is split between Arapahoe County and Adams County, with a small portion lying in Douglas County. , and go to school full-time at St. Mary's Academy in Englewood, Colorado Englewood is a city in Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA. As of 2005, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,350.[5] It is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. , where I will be a junior this fall. But I still manage to train almost every day. I do a variety of standard strokes, but without leg kicks. Swimming is the time when I feel least disabled. People who have been injured ask: "Why me?" I did that, and at first it was really hard to understand. I have been really fortunate that my family and friends have been very supportive. I don't think of myself as disabled, but as somebody who has a challenge that others do not have. I know that I've worked very hard, and as long as I keep a positive attitude, everything will turn out all right. If you have a personal story to tell, please send it to us. If we publish it, we'll send you $100. Submissions must include your name, address, and phone number, should be limited to 400 words, and cannot be returned. Send your column to Voices, The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Upfront, 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999, or e-mail it to nytupfront@scholastic.com. |
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