Rio Paralympics

The opening ceremony of the Paralympics was held last night in Rio. I recorded it and have watched it, and will be watching it again with my kids. Watching the parade of athletes is beautiful. Such a wide variety of abilities; some athletes are in wheelchairs, scooters, and power chairs. Many are missing limbs. Some are little people, extremely small in stature. I watched a story of a blind swimmer. The abilities vary, but they are united by the dedication to sport.

Able-bodied Olympic athletes are amazing. The amount of time, money, and hard work they put in to their sport is mind-boggling.  They are celebrated and looked at as heroes, and rightly so.  The Paralympians?  They are the SUPERheroes.  These athletes have not only put in an amazing amount of time, money, and hard work, but by living with a disability, they have also had to deal with more than the average person.  They have dealt with doctor's appointments, which at times can seem never-ending. They have had to find, be fitted for, and learn how to use different types of equipment to help them perform activities of daily living.  Socially they have had to come to peace with the fact that, for some reason, they have ended up in a body that society doesn't consider "normal".  They are proud champions.  The Paralympics are more difficult to find on television. But I searched and I found and I will be watching. Some of it will have to be viewed on the computer through an app, but I know that it will be worth it.  GO USA!!!