Matthew R.
Matthew was adopted from China at the age of seven and was born without his right foot and underwent a below knee amputation on his left leg at the age of 8 shortly after coming to the US to be a better fit for a prosthesis. Now 16-years-old, Matthew has grown into an incredible athlete, student, and an all-around amazing kiddo. Matthew started playing wheelchair basketball two years ago and developed a strong passion for the sport, so much so that he decided to take up running to help him stay in shape during the off season. Not only did Matthew end up loving to run, he is now a superstar track athlete as well! Matthew competes in several events and ran for his high school track team this past spring and came in third place in the 200-meter race against all able-bodied racers and finished his first two mile race in under 15 minutes! Running has given Matthew great confidence and a new circle of friends and has shown other kids that having a disability does not stop you from ANYTHING! We recently helped Matthew get a new set of more advanced running blades for this track season and he is doing incredible with them – we can’t wait to watch him compete this year!
Check out this awesome article about Matthew and his family: Cheshire CT family of amputee athletes inspiring others. (ctinsider.com)