I'm happy to say that I've been very busy from increasing my training, going to appointments, to spending time with friends!
Over the past 2 weeks, I've had the opportunity to meet people who have touched and changed my perspective. Leaving a physical therapy appointment, I had a father come up to my mom and I as we were getting into the car. As his son was following him, I saw that this young boy was wearing the same spring shoes as me. The father introduced himself, his son, and then said, "If I didn't read about you in the Hartford Courant back in 2008, my son with Duchenes would not be walking and in great health right now". He went on to say how his son swims, is gluten free, and goes to physical therapy. That shocked me. I've never had someone else with Muscular Dystrophy follow all the things I've done before and also see the benefits. I know there's a lot of other things that play into this picture, like family support, and I could tell this young boy certain gets that. This boy was 9 years old with Duchenes and he was still walking...amazing, and the father saying that it was all because they read about me? That's very profound and I'm honored to not just inspire, but empower others. That was the most humbling and rewarding feeling I've ever had, better than receiving any award or medal.
I started training and swimming only to pursue a paralympic goal that I'm still working towards. I'd never expected to be improving lives along the way, but meeting that young boy gives me more motivation to keep going forward and showing what is possible.
This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend Hospital for Special Care's Annual Donor Reception. The reception mostly talked about how programs have improved and thanking donor's support throughout the year. One person who attended was Dr. Petit, founder of the Petit Foundation. For those who don't know Dr. Petit, him and his family were victims of a horrific home invasion and only Dr. Petit survived. Even though he experienced this tragedy, Dr. Petit is still active in community service and giving back to others. I had the pleasure of meeting him that night. I was deeply touched on how peaceful and humble he was. I told him how much I admire his courage for freely giving himself in helping others, especially to the hospital. I also mentioned how much I looked up to him and his strength. The only thing he kept saying was thank you and continued to shake my hand. I will forever remember our conversation. That night I took away a new sense of giving to others, thanks to Dr. Petit.
Overall, I feel very honored to meet amazing people along my journey. I don't want to get too sentimental, but at times I feel speechless as to how touched I am their stories. I'm not exactly sure as to why I'm coming across these experiences (not that I want to know why), but what I do know is that nothing is a coincidence.
