Amazed and Inspired

Last night I was granted the honor of hearing an inspirational story about a young man from Ghana. His story moved me to tears and to hear him speak about perseverance and making a difference inspired me. First, here is the story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah:

When Emmanuel Yeboah was born without a tibia in his right leg, his mother was advised to kill him. In Ghana, a disabled baby is considered a curse and is either poisoned or left in the forest to die. The lucky ones are hidden away until they can make their way to the streets, where they'll spend the rest of their lives begging. Emmanuel's mother made a choice to keep her son alive and teach him to transcend all limitations. Every day she carried her son three miles to and from school. At school, Emmanuel was ostracized. But it was when he was turned away from the soccer team that he decided to take a stand. Earning a dollar a day shining shoes, he bought his own ball and offered it to his classmates on one condition—they had to include him on the team. With this small step, Emmanuel began a mission to forever change the treatment of Ghana's disabled population. »

To show his countrymen that disability doesn’t mean inability, he pedaled a bike donated by CAF 610 km (379 miles) around Ghana using only his left leg. Now able to stand on two feet (thanks to an operation and a high-tech prosthetic donated by Loma Linda University Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation Institute), he works vigorously to ensure that opportunities are available to all physically challenged Ghanaians.

An award-winning documentary, Emmanuel’s Gift, produced by Emmy-winners Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern of Lookalike Productions, has allowed thousands to share his emotional story. Being a recipient of Nike’s Casey Martin Award and a co-recipient of the prestigious 2005 ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award, Emmanuel’s achievements have now been recognized.

Something he said last night that really struck me was that in all of the disabled people he has met, whether they are missing legs or arms, he has never met a person without a head. As long as you have a head you can do whatever you set your mind to. Life is a gift and no matter what physical state you may be in, you are not your body - you are a human being and you are alive. You can transcend phsycial limitations and use your mind and your ideas to change the world. He never gave up and never let someone tell him that things are impossible. He believes that when you do something selfless and give to others that it will come back to you ten fold and that is very true for him. It was an amazing story and I'm thankful that I was able to meet this man and hear his inspirational words.