Meet Ryan Levinson

Dear ones,

I've been waiting for the right time to introduce you to my "hero," Ryan Levinson. Ryan is 33 years old, and was diagnosed with the same type of muscular dystrophy as I have back in 1996. He is my kind of guy. He has offered himself as a human "guinea pig" to see if exercise affects or improves MD patients/sufferers. We have emailed each other a couple of times. He is an advocate of clean living plus an active lifestyle. Ryan's enthusiasm for life is infectious, and people can't help but like him.

His passion right now is to find avenues for athletes with disabilities to compete. Ryan is a champion Olympic cyclist who trains with the same coach as Lance Armstrong. You've seen wheelchair basketball and maybe Special Olympics. There is a Para-Olympics for athletes, but for a lot of competitions there is not a place for people with physical disabilities who are not in a wheelchair yet. We sorta fall in the cracks between the fully-abled and the completely dis-abled.

Below is a link to Ryan's website. When you finish the intro on the home page, click on the tab at the bottom that says "pics and video." Download some of those videos. You'll see what Ryan has been up to, and I hope you will be encouraged in your daily walk/ride/stroll.

To survive and thrive in 2005,
-Donna

http://www.westcoastkiteboarding.com/RL_main.html