Here's a story to take your mind off of the current political/economic grind.
My dear friend and colleague Frank Calabria is a retired psychology professor and an avid ballroom dancer. On multiple occasions he's demonstrated the mambo and the cha cha cha for the students in my "Music of Latin America" course. A physically and mentally active guy, he describes growing up in Brooklyn and a host of other adventures in Let It Be a Dance: My Life Story. That's not what this diary is about.
I recall him mentioning a few years ago that one of his grandsons [Nicolai] was born without one leg. I didn't think about that again until I saw a story in Saturday's Schenectady Daily Gazette [subscription only--drives me nuts].
Follow for details.
According to Nicolai's father,
"We have a family tradition of doing a coming-of-age adventure with our kids on their 13th birthdays with their father, and they can pick any place they want."
Nicolai's choice: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
He also realized he wanted to use the trip to help others.
Nicolai decided to try to raise money for the Free Wheelchair Mission, a charity based in Irvine, Calif., that makes wheelchairs from simple lawn chairs, screws, and wheels for people in poor countries who need them.
An avid soccer player, Nicolai has been physically active his entire life, rejecting a prosthetic leg in favor of two "sticks". He and his father have been training for several months, including a recent ascent of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.
They left for Tanzania on Saturday, and begin their ascent of the mountain today.
"I will do my best to reach the summit," said Nicolai. "I will only be disappointed if I haven't tried my hardest. I'm anxious and excited and all that stuff."
If you have any extra $ or $$ laying around, feel free to make a donation here.
Thanks for your attention--now back to the Hillary/Giuliani/Obama Girl slugfest...