Forget sad…for every disappointing person in the world, there are so many more who defy expectations. Here’s one as covered by the Gloucester Daily News:
Essex boy sets records, meets champion athlete
Town Talk: by Amanda Flitter
Brendan Driscoll has come a long way. A few years ago, the 10-year-old from Essex wanted to quit soccer because the heavy prosthesis on his left leg made it difficult to run.
Now, thanks to a high-performance athletic leg he received from the Challenge Athletes Foundation, he is competing in triathlons around the country. He recently completed a whirlwind tour, taking three sports-related trips in six weeks.
“He’s just been going, going, going,” his mother, Ginger Driscoll, said. “He has run nine races in nine states this year, which is pretty amazing for a kid in fifth grade.”
One highlight was the 2008 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where Brendan met 2007 Ironman World Championship winner Chris McCormack.
The meeting came about through a chain of events sparked by Brendan’s first triathlon win.
At a silent auction for Challenge Athletes Foundation, the Driscolls bought a red running suit signed by McCormack. Brendan wore the suit during the 2007 Haunted City Junior Triathlon in Salem, where he captured his first triathlon win. A picture of Brendan in the suit ran in the Salem News, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation eventually e-mailed the image to McCormack.
Brendan’s mother Ginger said McCormack began e-mailing Brendan and became a “mentor by e-mail.” Bob Babbitt, publisher of Competitor magazine, later arranged for the two to meet this year in Hawaii.
In addition to rubbing elbows with world-class athletes, Brendan received the Challenge Athletes Foundation’s 2008 Rising Star Award for his dedication, commitment, and focus to achieving his athletic goals. He also set two national records for the 200-meter and the 60-meter races at the National Junior Disability Championships in New Jersey this summer.
