Teen with CP competes in marathons

From the Houston Chronicle:

Like thousands of other runners who will attempt Sunday’s Chevron Houston Marathon, Andy Sullman (pictured) is imagining the thrill he’ll feel at the finish line. But one could argue his real triumph might be before the race — when he ties his shoes.

Sullman, who is affected by cerebral palsy, struggled with that task and others most people perform everyday, such as cutting food, all his life. A year or so ago, he began to lose feeling in his left side and his head drooped nearly to his shoulder.

Today the 18-year-old resident of The Woodlands stands straight and strong. Running has done for Sullman what traditional forms of physical therapy failed to do. And with his increased physical strength has come increased self-confidence.

“I want to run a marathon because I really enjoy running, and I want to show people that anybody can run a marathon with training,” he said.

Cerebral palsy describes a group of chronic conditions affecting body movement and muscle coordination, according to United Cerebral Palsy, a nonprofit advocacy group. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually before, during, or shortly after birth or during infancy.

Sullman was a healthy baby, said his mother, Dominique Sullman. But his premature delivery had complications, and he suffered brain damage during a delay in treatment, she said.

The family moved from England to The Woodlands in 2007 after they realized while visiting friends that Sullman could enjoy a lifestyle here that was denied him in his native country.

Though his symptoms are mild, his abilities were often disregarded in England because he is unable to speak clearly, his mother said. But during visits to the States he could go for a cup of coffee or to the movies alone.

“The whole ethos and culture here is just kinder,” she said.

Sullman is studying computer technology at Lone Star College-Montgomery.

Dominque Sullman said she realized running might be beneficial for her son last March, when they were rushing through an airport to make a connecting flight for a ski vacation.

“He was so quick, we couldn’t keep up with him. We realized that he had this real talent for sprinting and running,” she said. “It was nothing we’d ever thought of before.”

Sullman entered a few races and did well enough that when he told his parents he wanted to run a marathon, they agreed, provided he joined a training group.

“If you run with him you see his form is pure, his gait is pure. You would never know (he is affected by cerebral palsy),” said Richard Cooper, Woodlands Fit organizer and Sullman’s coach. “If you could have seen the expression on his face when he finished that 21-miler, he was just so excited, I get goose pimples thinking about. This is what we coaches live for.”

Sullman says that during his runs he likes to think about how every run makes him stronger. He’s also grateful to Cooper and the other runners in his group, “for sticking with me on the big runs and helping me out.”

He also says he’s into his new sport for the long term.

“I will carry on running because it is making my body stronger,” Sullman said.

“It’s given him independence for life. It’s given him normality,” his mother said. “There are so many kids out there with CP, maybe this can give them hope.”