Judy

     Our daughter lost a Special Olympics teammate to cardiac arrest on Thanksgiving weekend. She was a lovely young woman with caring family, 35 years old, non-verbal and an athlete who worked hard in many disciplines of Special Olympics: basketball, swimming and bowling to name a few. Our daughter had only known her for a short time but was impressed with her teammate's cheerfulness, hard work and respect for others. That she died in circumstances that could have been prevented makes her story that much sadder.
     Tonight the Special Olympics coaches made sure that as many parents and caregivers as possible were available in order to offer support to the athletes. Sympathy cards were passed around for signing and support now and in the future was offered. A two minute silence was observed and then the practice went forward. The athletes played their best: exuberantly, energetically, diligently, because that's what their teammate would have wanted. They felt her loss with varying degrees of understanding but the feeling of playing for her was there and palpable in the gym.

     Special Olympics is remarkable because it meets the athlete where they are and engages them with meaningful training, competition and lasting friendship. As the website states: "Special Olympics is humanity’s greatest classroom, where lessons of ability, acceptance and inclusion are illuminated on fields of play by our greatest teachers – the athletes." This has been an enormous source of social support to our daughter and a great boost to her physical well-being and confidence. The death of her teammate is tragic, sorrowful and felt by the many who knew her--- we did not know her well but we will not forget her.