The Special Olympics Global Week of Inclusion is a time to celebrate athletes like Sean Rohlfing. Sean has been an athlete with Special Olympics NH for more than 20 years. Sean spent many years struggling with weight issues. In 2015 he suffered a collapsed lung and was hospitalized for an extended period. Following his hospitalization he had to learn to walk again. All of which caused Sean to gain more weight.
Like many people, Sean quarantined when COVID came into our lives. He also made a decision, saying "I can't control where I can go, but I can control my weight."
Sean turned to the online offerings of SONH that were available during the worst of the pandemic. Sean participated in the Hope Challenge and Fueling Engines programs. These were initiatives created by SONH to keep athletes and partners active, engaged and eating healthy while spending more time at home during the pandemic.
Over the course of a year and a half, Sean made the most of the SONH online programs and lost more than 90 pounds! Sean credits Special Olympics New Hampshire with making a huge difference in his life.
Sean was chosen to be part of Team New Hampshire's Powerlifting team at the recently-completed USA Games in Florida. While being cheered on by his family, friends and teammates Sean earned three gold medals in Orlando for Bench Press, Combo Bench/Lift and Dead Lift.
He's back home in the Granite State now and working at his local Market Basket grocery store. He continues to work on staying healthy, practicing and competing. Today and everyday, we celebrate champions like Sean who show the world what inclusion really means.
Join us in signing the Inclusion Pledge!
Reference
Sue Williams
603-714-4792
susanw@sonh.org
http://www.sonh.org
Original source can be found here.
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