My nephew Paul will be 47 in September. He has been a diabetic since the age of 11 months, and at the age of three he suffered a stroke that left him weak on his left side, legally blind, and developmentally challenged.

Many years ago when he was a student at the Indiana School for the Blind he became involved in the Special Olympics. His life has been full of sports since those days, such as basketball, track, bowling, and swimming. The camaraderie he enjoyed over the years filled his heart with joy. He used to shoot baskets with his dad, younger brother Matt, and Matt’s school buddies. Nowadays, as an older man, he has been sidelined from competitive sports (with the exception of bowling) due to his diabetes.

He is pictured here after this year’s Skills Competition in basketball in Indiana. The wonderful news we recently received is that Paul has been accepted into the pancreatic transplant program at the University of Chicago Medical Center! Perhaps he will be able to get involved in the Masters sports level soon. Sports at any level benefits society. Get involved in something.