OLD-SCHOOL WHEELING-INSPIRING ATHLETE RISES TO CHALLENGE

I wrote the following article for The Phoenix newspaper on November 24, 2006..


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Inspiring Athlete Rises to Challenge

 Nathan Baker is a freshman at Bond High School in North Carolina. He is a member of the cross country team, and recently ran his final race of the season. He finished a distant seventh, almost seven minutes off the pace of the leader. But to Nathan, running isn’t about winning - it’s about competing, giving your all, despite limitations.

 “I’m not a quitter,” Nathan says proudly.

 Nathan was born prematurely and was diagnosed with suffering from cerebral palsy at the age of nine months. Doctors doubted he would ever walk, let alone run.

 But even as an infant, Nathan knew better

. It was often a struggle, but he managed to learn to turn over, and even used a special walker as a child. At the age of two he was walking independently, with a steadying hand from his mother.

 Nathan wore braces as a kid, but they didn’t stop his progress. He continued to surprise his doctors, despite his condition

. Cerebral Palsy, as defined by the United Cerebral Palsy Association, broadly describes the condition as a group of “chronic conditions affecting body movement and muscle coordination” caused by “damage to one or more specific areas of the brain.”

 Roughly 764,000 people are afflicted by the disease, with approximately 8,000 babies each year being born with the disability. Common symptoms are muscle tightness or involuntary movement, among other complications

. Nathan has those symptoms too. He has normal intellect but is hearing-impaired, which makes his speech sometimes hard to understand.

After a therapist jokingly suggested that Nathan try out for the school’s cross country team, Nathan spent 10 weeks, three times a week, running on a treadmill, increasing his endurance and testing his heart rate.

 Why run?

 “Not to win,” he says. “To help me keep in shape. And I like to make friends.”

 But why try out for a sport which many people, including his own family, was thought to be physically impossible for Nathan to achieve?

 “It’s important to let people know that people with disabilities can do anything,” he explains.

. Despite his thin legs and small physique, his coach gave Nathan a chance. If he could practice and keep up with the other runners, he could compete.

 A typical run is 3.1 miles. Nathan has fallen two times in the woods or on the hills of a rough cross county terrain. He has tripped or was unintentionally pushed down several times during a race. But he always got up and finished his races – always the fighting underdog, despite his physical challenge. His times continued to improve, despite the stiffness in his muscles.

 On August 14 he finished his first 5K race in a time of 33:55. His fastest mark of the season was on October 11, finishing in 29:07.

 He impresses his teammates and strives them to do better. As one senior said, “If he can do it, I can do it.”

 Nathan just knew-a long time ago, despite the odds- that he would walk someday. And he just knew that he would also run, proving to everyone around him that the only true handicap is in one’s mind. With determination and spirit, he proves that one can achieve a dream or goal, by not giving up.