We’ve covered Hector Picard, the first double-arm amputee to complete the IRONMAN World Championship, extensively.
That’s because the Ft. Lauderdale resident is always up to something good whether it’s crossing a finish line, raising money for a good cause, or handing one of his medals over to a child with a physical and/or cognitive disability.
On Monday, Picard will toe the start line at the historic Boston Marathon. He’ll cover 26.2 miles not just for himself, but for 12-year-old Anna Kitada.
Kitada has bone cancer and had to have her leg amputated at nine years old. Picard plans on carrying a picture of her as he runs the course.
The two had the chance to meet Friday at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I.
“I’m trying to work back to getting running again and because Hector is doing it, I know that I can do it,” Kitada told ABC6.
Picard plans to give his finisher’s medal to Kitada after the race. He’s also raising money for a pediatric cancer charity called One Mission that supports children and their families through the emotional and financial challenges of cancer.
Here’s a clip of their meeting:
ABC6 – Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather
Before Picard lost his arms in an electrical accident, he was never endurance athlete. Now he swims, bikes, and runs more miles than most people on this planet.
“I want people to look at us [amputees] as equals with just some minor differences,” Picard told us in 2015. “If you think of me as a disabled guy during a race, believe me, I’m training and working my butt off to pass you up.”
He even designed his own prosthetic arm which enables him to play basketball. Believe us when we say, he can ball.
If you’d like to learn more about Picard, check out the story we did on him.
