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Written by Shawn Alladio - K38
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Wednesday, 03 June 2009 03:58 |
his story
When people first meet Ryan Levinson they often do not realize he is a challenged athlete. He is not missing a limb, using a wheelchair, or racing with a guide to help him see. Instead, this world-class triathlete is the first person in history to compete at a championship level despite being ravaged by FSHMD (Muscular Dystrophy), a progressive degenerative muscle wasting disease.
Ryan was diagnosed with MD in 1996 when he noticed some of his muscles rapidly disappearing. Since then, his disease has progressed to the point where he can now no longer hold his arms above his head, do a sit-up, pull-up, or push-up. He has lost major muscles in his chest, arms, back, abdominals, and legs. As his disease progresses, he may become too weak to even close his eyes or move his lips into a smile.
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