I-Paralympian Melissa Stockwell kwi-American Pride kunye ne-Inspiring Perspectives

Umxholo

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Ukuba kukho into enye uMelissa Stockwell ayivayo ngalo mzuzu, ngumbulelo. Phambi kweMidlalo yeeParalympic kweli hlobo eTokyo, eU.S.Igqala lomkhosi lonzakele kwisehlo sebhayisekile emva kokubaleka phezu kwesebe laza laphulukana nolawulo lwebhayisekile. UStockwell wafunda koogqirha ukuba wenzakala umqolo owawuza kumthintela kuqeqesho iiveki ezimbalwa. Ngaphandle koloyiko oluqatha, iimbaleki eneminyaka engama-41 ikwazile ukukhuphisana kule midlalo, ibeka kwindawo yesihlanu kukhuphiswano lwabasetyhini lweetrayethloni. Phakathi konyaka ozaliswe yimiceli mngeni yomzimba kunye nobhubhani we-COVID-19, iStockwell inombulelo ngamava aseTokyo.

Ndiyathetha, yayiyimidlalo eyahluke mpela, kodwa ndicinga ukuba yenze ukuba ikhetheke nangakumbi, utshilo uStockwell Ubume. "[Yayingumbhiyozo] ​​wezemidlalo, usenza iTokyo. Ukubakho nje apho, kwakumangalisa." (Eyeleleneyo: U-Anastasia Pagonis uphumelele iMbasa yeGolide yokuqala yeQela lase-USA kwimidlalo yee-Paralympics yaseTokyo kwiFashoni eyophula iRekhodi)

UStockwell, imbasa yebronze evela kwiMidlalo ye-2016 eRio, okhuphisanayo kumnyhadala we-triathlon PTS2 eTokyo kweli hlobo, kunye neqela laseMelika u-Allysa Seely eliphumelele igolide. Kwiminyhadala yeParalympic, iimbaleki zihlelwe ngokwamahlelo ahlukeneyo ngokusekwe kubakhubazeko bazo ukuqinisekisa ukhuphiswano olufanelekileyo macala onke. I-Stockwell ikwiqela le-PTS2, nolunye loluhlu lwabakhuphisana abasebenzisa iprosthesis, ngokutsho NBC Sports.

Emuva ngo-2004, ubomi bukaStockwell babuguqulwe ngonaphakade xa waba lijoni lokuqala laseMelika ukuphulukana nelungu kwiMfazwe yase-Iraq. Imoto awayeqhuba ngayo kunye neqela lakhe ngelo xesha yabethwa yibhombu ecaleni kwendlela kwizitrato zaseIraq. “Ndayeka umlenze kwiminyaka eli-17 eyadlulayo, ndaya esibhedlele, kwaye ndayiqonda indlela endinethamsanqa ngayo, utshilo. "Ndijikelezwe ngamanye amajoni ndonzakele kakhulu, ngenxa yoko kwakunzima kum ukuba ndizisizele, kwaye ndiziva ngathi olo hlobo lubeka izinto ngakwicala ngalinye lobomi bam. Ngaba ndiseneentsuku ezimbi? Ngokuqinisekileyo, kodwa ndiyakwazi ukukhangela ngapha nangapha kwaye ndibone indlela esinethamsanqa ngayo ngokuba nezinto esinazo.

UStockwell wayethathe umhlala-phantsi kwezomkhosi ngo-2005 emva kokonzakala. Ukwafumene i-Purple Heart, ethi inikwe abo babuleweyo okanye abenzakeleyo ngelixa besebenza emkhosini, kunye ne-Bronze Star, enikezelwa ngempumelelo yeqhawe, inkonzo, okanye impumelelo ebalaseleyo okanye inkonzo kumlo wokulwa. Kwakuloo nyaka, waziswa nakwiiParalympics nguJohn Bhalisa kwiKomiti yeOlimpiki yase-US ye-Paralympic Military kunye neNkqubo yamaGqala, owathi thaca kwiMidlalo eWalter Reed Medical Centre eMaryland. UStockwell wayenomdla ngombono wokumela i-US kwakhona, kodwa njengembaleki, ngokwe NBC Sports. Ngo-2008 iBeijing Paralympics kwiminyaka nje emithathu ngelo xesha, uStockwell waguqukela emanzini wadada njengenxalenye yokuvuselelwa kwakhe eWalter Reed. (Idibeneyo: Indadi yeParalympic uJessica kudala wayibeka phambili impilo yakhe yengqondo ngendlela entsha eNtsha ngaphambi kweMidlalo yaseTokyo)

Ekugqibeleni uStockwell wafudukela eColorado Springs, eColorado ngo-2007 ukuya kuqhubeka nokuqeqesha kwiziko laseMelika lokuQeqesha iiOlimpiki eColorado Springs. Kunyaka kamva, wabizwa kwiqela lase-US laseParalympic lokuDada ngo-2008. Nangona engazange afumane mbasa kwimidlalo ka-2008, uStockwell kamva watshintsha ugqaliselo lwetrayethloni (umdlalo oquka ukuqhuba, ukuhamba ngebhayisikile, kunye nokuqubha) kwaye wabamba indawo kwiqela leqela lase-USA lokuvula ipara-triathlon ngo-2016. Ukuzinika ixesha lokugaya ngaphambi kokuqonda izicwangciso zakhe zexesha elizayo emva kweTokyo, umama wababini ujonge ukuchitha ixesha nabantwana bakhe, unyana wakhe uDallas, 6, kunye nentombi uMillie, 4, kunye nomyeni uBrian Tolsma.

“Amaxesha endiwathanda kakhulu kusapho lwam, kwaye kule mpelaveki siye enkampini,” utshilo. "Kwaye izinto ezincinci ezinje ngokuhambahamba ujikeleze usapho lwam kunye nenja. Ukuba sekhaya kwaye ndingqongwe ngabantu abona bantu ndikufutshane nabo kuphakathi kwezinto endizithandayo ukuzenza."

Ngaphandle koyena ukufutshane naye umthandayo, umkhosi uhlala ubambe indawo ekhethekileyo entliziyweni kaStockwell. Ngeli hlobo, waba ngunozakuzaku wegama leChapStick - apho angumlandeli wexesha elide, i-BTW- njengoko uphawu luqhubeka nokuba yintshatsheli yamaMelika. I-ChapStick ikwahlonipha kwaye ixhase abaphenduli bokuqala bemikhosi ngokusebenzisana ne-Operation Gratitude, engenzi nzuzo eyenza ukuba amaMelika abonakalise umbulelo wabo emkhosini, kumagqala, nakubaphenduli bokuqala ngeeleta kunye neephakeji zononophelo. I-brand kutsha nje ikhuphe iseti yohlobo oluthile lwezinti (Thenga yona, $ 6, chapstick.com) ebonisa ukupakishwa kweflegi yaseMelika kunye nayo yonke intonga ethengisiweyo, iChapStick iya kunikela ngentonga kwi-Operation Gratitude. Ukongezelela, i-ChapStick (eye yaxhasa imikhosi yase-US ukususela kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II) izinikele kwi-100,000 yeedola ngemveliso kunye neminikelo yemali kwi-Operation Gratitude, eya kunceda ukugcwalisa nokuhambisa iipakethi zokunyamekela kumaqhawe aseMelika.

"Ndingumntu othanda iChapStick ngenene okoko ndikhumbulayo," utshilo uStockwell. "Ndihlala ndinayo ngeenxa zonke, ihlala ikunye nam, kuluhlobo lokuza isangqa esipheleleyo ukuze ube ngummeli wegama."

Ngomhla wokuzalwa kwe-20 kaSeptemba 11, 2001, kusondela, uStockwell ukwabonakalisile ukomelela kweMelika kunye noko abelane ngako nabantwana bakhe abancinci. "Nge-11 kaSeptemba ngumhla endiwubhiyozela minyaka le. Ndicinga ukuba ubhiyozela ukomelela kweMelika; ubhiyozela abo baseMelika, endaweni yokuba babaleke kwisakhiwo esivuthayo, babalekela kuyo ukuze basindise abantu baseMelika. bonisa ukuzingca kweMelika, utshilo. "Bantwana bam, ngokucacileyo baneminyaka emi-4 ne-6 ubudala kwaye baqala. Ukuqonda izinto, kodwa, rhoqo kangangoko ndinako, ndibelana nabo ngento eyenziwa ngumkhosi wethu, esikwenzileyo, nokuba yintoni iyunifomu idiniwe ngethemba lokuba bayayiqonda indlela abanethamsanqa ngayo yokuhlala apho bahlala khona. "

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