If you see a man running Monday's 122nd Boston Marathon backwards, don't worry. That's just Loren Zitomersky, 33, tackling the 26.2-mile course the "wrong" way for the right reason: To end epilepsy. The Disney movie production lawyer from Southern California won't mimic salmon, running "upstream" from the finish line to the start line. He'll run with the rest of the [...]
What did Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper do during his brief break from chemotherapy? He got back to slinging touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore, who has a treatable form of testicular cancer, was surprised by head coach Dino Babers when he was inserted into the spring scrimmage for the last drive of the game. The result? A 17-yard touchdown pass to tight [...]
There's no doubt that sports -- whether you're watching or playing -- can illicit great memories. That's why various dementia-tailored socialization programs around the world are using sports reminiscence therapy to help improve the lives of those with Alzheimer's, a disease that affects nearly six million people in the United States alone. The idea of sports reminiscence therapy is to [...]
Denver Broncos defensive lineman Zach Kerr is all about disrupting offenses in the NFL, but when he's not on the field, he's rattling something far greater: Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition that often affects the lungs and lymph nodes. Why stand up to the disease that causes inflammatory cells to clump and interfere with an organ's structure and function? The 27-year-old's [...]
There's no stopping 7-year-old Montannah Kenney. In mid-March, the second-grader from Austin, Texas became the youngest girl to ever climb 19,341-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro. As for Montannah's motivation for taking on such a big climb with her mother, Hollie Kenney, who is a former professional triathlete? To honor her father, who passed away shortly after she turned three years old. “I [...]
Carlos Arredondo, 57, became a recognizable face for his heroism immediately after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that claimed three lives and injured hundreds more. He was the man in the white cowboy hat who pulled victims to safety and wrapped mangled limbs near the finish line on Boylston Street. Five years later, he is running the race for the [...]
If you’ve ever heard Michelle Kinder speak, you’ll not soon forget it. She’s the executive director of Momentous Institute, the AT&T Byron Nelson’s tournament beneficiary—an organization that provides educational and therapeutic services that build and repair social emotional health. Give Kinder five minutes, and she’ll chronicle how Momentous is “changing the odds” for children and families. Whether she’s telling the [...]
When it came to sports, Gianna Rojas had been sitting on the "sidelines" her entire life. Born without fingers on her left hand, the 56-year-old from Oak Ridge, N.J. was constantly left out and bullied in her youth. "I was born in a generation where society taught children, 'don't look, don't stare and don't ask questions,' Rojas explained. "I was [...]
By day, Matt Parziale is a full-time firefighter in blue-collar Brockton, Mass. But, he also moonlights as a ultra-competitive golfer. When he isn't battling fires for Ladder Company 1, the seventh-busiest ladder in the country, responding to car accidents or scrubbing toilets at the fire station, he's on the golf course working on his game. And, it's paid off tenfold. [...]
Some might describe Rob Gronkowski as a "man-child." His off season is typically filled with parties, pranks and off-the-wall dancing, but what he did for a New England Patriots fan who is awaiting her second heart transplant is nothing but endearing. The Patriots tight end and two-time Super Bowl winner made good use of his time on Monday by stopping [...]