Missives From Troy

dduane:

dearhaleyb:

Can we talk about this gymnast from Ireland for a bit?

His name is Kieran Behan and he’s 23 years old.

You might not have heard of him seeing as he didn’t make finals during today’s qualifiers, but he has overcome a lot of adversity to even make it to this point.

For starters, he is only the second Irish gymnast to ever make it to the Olympics in history.

As a child, only two years into gym training, doctors discovered a tumor in his leg. He had to have surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery went wrong and he was stuck in a wheel chair for 15 months - which is better than the diagnosis that he would never walk again. 

Upon returning to the gym, Behan had a freak accident and fell off the high bar, hitting his head and suffered from a major injury from it. He was again placed into a wheelchair. 

After about three years away, Behan returned to the gym only to suffer rupturing both anterior cruciate ligaments in his knee.

Coming back from these string of injuries, Behan and his support network scrambled for every bit of money needed to get him to London as he had to compete in events worldwide. He paid for everything on his own through raising money from bake sales and car washes.

Just to make it to today, Kieran Behan was able to defy those doctors that had told him he’d never walk again.

Hey, not only is he walking, but he also performed in the 2012 Olympics.

Not many can say that.  

You may not be winning a medal, or even competing in the finals, but you inspire so many with what you’ve accomplished,

So here’s to you, Kieran Behan!

One of my countrymen. We’re proud of him!