Monday, January 10, 2011

April Holmes Paralympian

April Holmes
Sport can be incredibly superficial and selfish. To succeed you have to be selfish and focus completely on yourself. Or do you?

American sprinter April Holmes isn't your typical runner. Holding world records in 100m, 200m and 400m, she does it all on one leg. A train accident nine years ago in Philadelphia left her facing a stark choice, optimism and a new life or despair.
In an interview with Today she said:
"I realized just in a blink of an eye, I could have lost my life.

God kept me alive for a reason. I realized I had work to do. I couldn’t just sit there and be stagnant."  Inspired by her surgeon, she took up running.

So far, so inspiring story. But Holmes has taken things one step further and spends much of her time travelling to schools talking to children and showing them just how far you can go. She says the highlight of the talks is when she takes off her prosthetic leg and shows it to the children - surprise, surprise the boys love it. Her foundation - the April Holmes Foundation - works to inspire and fund people with disabilites to overcome obstacles.

April Holmes

You can watch Holmes and other paralympians in action at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Games in New Zealand, starting on Saturday January 15th. 

Do you know of anyone who has a similar positive attitude to life?
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