It was a huge month here at Purpose2Play. We talked with a homicide detective who lost his leg, but found his way out of a dark hole. We covered the ESPY Awards and Air Force Sgt. Israel Del Toro’s big win. We also reported on a mother who set a new world record for pushing a three-child stroller in a marathon.
Here’s our top five stories from July:
5. Air Force Sgt. Israel Del Toro to receive Pat Tillman Award for Service at 2017 ESPYs
There will be many heartwarming moments at the 2017 ESPY Awards Wednesday night, and sure to top the list will be when Air Force Sgt. Israel Del Toro steps on stage to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Del Toro was serving in Afghanistan in 2005 when his Humvee rolled over a bomb. He was in a coma for three months, and with burns covering most of his body, he was given just a 15% chance to live. Upon waking up, he discovered he lost most of his fingers and looked unrecognizable even to his own 3-year-old son. [Read more]
4. Man with special needs receives new bike from ‘enemy’ cyclists after his is stolen
Andy Engert had been at odds with a group of cyclists for a while. They would ride and park their bikes in the fire lane down the road from where he works at Tiajana Flats in Florida. It drove him up the wall to the point where he would yell in anger as they passed by and complain to his boss.
However, that all changed when his bike was stolen and the cyclists chipped in to buy him a new and better bike. [Read more]
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 12: U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Israel Del Toro accepts the Pat Tillman Award for Service onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
3. Mom sets marathon world record for pushing three kids in a stroller
Many view running as an individual sport. Not Theresa Marie Pitts, a mother of eight who just set a Guinness World Record for pushing a three-child stroller in a marathon. She sees it as a team effort.
Pitts ran the Missoula Marathon in 4 hours, 25 minutes with her three youngest kids along for every step of the way. That’s a total of 145 pounds she had to push for 26.2 miles. To top it off, she had never even run the distance before. [Read more]
2. Simone Biles surprises world’s oldest gymnast Johanna Qaas
You could argue there’s no bigger star in gymnastics right now than 91-year-old Johanna Quaas.
The German athlete who got her start in the sport in 1934 is able to pull off moves most people in their 30s cannot. That’s why she was invited on NBC’s “Little Big Shots: Forever Young,” which aired Wednesday to highlight seniors who are still doing amazing things. [Read more]
1. Denver homicide detective loses leg, finds hope at the Adaptive Training Foundation
As a homicide detective for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Chris Schaefer has seen his fair share of the grisly side of society.
The 46-year-old Colorado native is keenly aware of how intense life can get, but when he lost his left leg to a severe infection after several knee replacements, he felt like he was thrown directly into hell.
“I don’t think I’m the type of guy who would ever kill himself, but there is nothing worse than praying to God that you just don’t wake up in the morning,” Schaefer said. [Read more]
