A database of news and information about people with disabilities and disability issues...
Copyright statement: Unless otherwise stated, all posts on this blog continue to be the property of the original author/publication/Web site, which can be found via the link at the beginning of each post.
CUMBERLAND, Maine -- It was a very special night for the manager of the Greely High School boys basketball team.
Like many of us, Patrick Thibideau, (pictured) has dreamed of being a star athlete. On Tuesday night, Patrick, who has Down's Syndrome, had his dream come true when he went from team manager to starting player.
Patrick made sure his opportunity counted, scoring a 3-pointer with just his second shot. It was a moment that was extra special for the Thibideau family.
Just two weeks ago, Patrick's father Perry, an assistant coach for the team, suffered a stroke. He almost didn't make the game, but when Perry's doctors heard the situation, they let him out of the hospital just in time for him to see his son play. Perry said seeing his son score was thrilling.
"It was kind of surprising to me, I couldn't see who had the ball cause I was sitting way down here," says Perry. "But when I saw the ball go up and every one stand up, I said, yeah, I knew that was Patrick. Especially when it went in, that was fantastic! Best feeling you could ever have in your life... become a parent and you find out why."
Perry Thibideau will be discharged from the hospital Wednesday and then he start his rehabilitation.
Patrick's performance was thrilling to the whole Greely High School boys team. Sam Thompson offered up his starting spot to let Patrick play.
"He comes to practice every day. He comes to every game. He works really hard. He just deserves it," said Thompson.
Patrick Thibideau ended his high school career with three points, but it was the chance to be on the floor with his peers that made his dreams come true.
Beth Haller, Ph.D., is Co-Director of the Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (www.gadim.org). A former print journalist, she is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center on Disability and Journalism (https://ncdj.org/). Haller is Professor Emerita in the Department of Mass Communication at Towson University in Maryland, USA. Haller is co-editor of the 2020 "Routledge Companion to Disability and Media" (with Gerard Goggin of University of Sydney & Katie Ellis of Curtin University, Australia). She is author of "Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media" (Advocado Press, 2010) and the author/editor of Byline of Hope: Collected Newspaper and Magazine Writing of Helen Keller (Advocado Press, 2015). She has been researching disability representation in mass media for 30+ years. She is adjunct faculty in the Disability Studies programs at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Texas-Arlington.
From WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine:
