My brother in law is legally blind. He has retinitis pigmentosa which means he has no peripheral vision, has night blindness and his scope of sight is limited. He was diagosed as a young teenager and it was supposed to be bad news. But his disease did not slow him down! He may be legally blind but I would say he can see "clearer" than most of the rest of us. He knows what is precious. He is inspiring in that each and every day he just lives and truly understands that today is a gift and he will do with it what he can.

He has competed in at least 4 Paralympics in the 400m, 800m and 1500m and he is a silver and bronze medalist. His quest for gold was interupted a few years ago when he was hit by a car while he was out training one day. He broke his leg in too many pieces and it took more than two years to completely heal. He was plagued with infections, pain and numerous setbacks. He did not complain but just kept quietly working on his recovery. He did not qualify for Bejing but he was so close to getting there -- the pain in his leg was just too much and it was not his time. He quietly soldiers on in his training though and every day he trains for the next Olympics. He doesn't talk about his disability much or even much about his training -- both are just a part of him. We all know that he just wants to win a gold medal and then his quest will be done.

He is a teacher and a mentor to many kids, athletes and people with disabilities and that is a great thing because he is humble, he is grateful and he is most especially courageous!

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