Shriners Hospitals Help Teen Reach Gold-Medal Heights Thursday, March 1, 2001 will ake sale next baci Eerie! eon th ne: mich bese MIL apie on ancl ace sack] nes * an bono] ed. sd Portal N1;te ie‘Rly ao al ba an will Lal sale ne pe ey EiSs eo eou ‘A Mes, 7Aave ieag ibe onal mn Sho tract ‘\ sale ad beof ola “wn eatauctii me =) iE ne .ne OF SPORTS Shriners Hospitals Help7Teen Reach Gold-Medal Heights: (NAPSA)—A teen who has overcomea lifetime of physical challenges, now excels in athletics and it has much to do with t attitude of his motr. Wn life hands you lemons, says Melanie Dawson, it’s best to make lemonade. That was Dawson’s outlook 13 years ago, wn one of r twin sons, Derek, was born with Veter’s Syndrome, a condition that left him with severe hand deformities and otr orthopaedic problems. But as it turns out, life also sometimes doles out gold medals. That was t result in June as 13year-old Derek competed in t 2001 Sports Festival, a national track and field competition sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association in New London, Conn. Derek claimed nine gold medals competing against otr young people with disabilities, taking first place in t 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 4x100 relay, shotput, long jump, discus andjavelin. Derek’s accomplishment is considered to be particularly impressive considering has endured 21 surgeries in his younglife, including hand surgeries at Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis and brain surgeries, ear tube implants, and a tonsillectomy performed at otr hospitals. One of t primary orthopaedic conditions faced by Derek is called radial club hands. Radial club hand is a deformity of t forearm, in which one of t forearm bones is missing, making normal functions such as grasp and twohanded activities difficult, accord- ing to Loray Dailey, occupational trapy director at t St. Louis In a recent national track and field competition, Derek added nine gold medals to his growing collection. Shriners Hospital. But with proper surgical correction and trapy, t cosmetic and functional deformity is improved and patients can lead normallives. And sometimes, as in Derek’s case, ty can excel. For more information on Shriners’ network of 22 hospitals that provide medical care and services totally free of charge to children with orthopaedic problems, burns and spinal cord injuries, write to: Shriners International Headquarters, Public Relations Dept., 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607, or visit t Web site at www.shrinershq.org. Treatmentis provided to children under age 18 without regard to race, religion or relationship to a Shriner. If you know a child Shriners can lp, call 1-800-237-5055 in t United States, or 1-800-361- 7256 in Canada. --- PHOTOS --- File: 20190801-014917-20190801-014915-51843.pdf.jpg --- FILES --- File: 20190801-014915-51843.pdf