image retrieved from: https://www.oscarpistorius.com/
I was one of the many who were inspired by Oscar Pistorius during the Summer Olympic Games just recently. I have seen several blog posts by others who were inspired as well. He helped to provide hope to people that they too may not be seen as different and that they can strive for something that may not be the norm at this point and time.
My favorite inspirational story surrounding this amazing athlete is that he has become a role model for one of the boys I work with and have talked about often in my blog posts. He is a 7 year old with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and he is learning how to walk without his canes. This is an amazing feat because of the amount of energy it takes for him to take each step and maintain his balance. Motivation has been a challenge because who as an almost 8 year old wants to work that hard every day to learn how to walk? Well he saw Oscar Pistorius run in the Olympics and has decided he wants to be like him. He has found his inspiration and motivation to help him take each step. Don’t get me wrong, he still has his moments of whining but he has an internal motivation that we have sought to provide for him and have not always been successful.
The other similarity in this story is that the little boy I work with, just like Oscar, has never once seen himself as disabled….
Who are your kids role models and inspirations?