A couple of months ago I posted a picture for inspiration for my first official 5K run and one of my facebook friends commented on it. His comment was simple yet profound. He said "you can run for me anytime, Tim!"

You see my friend was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia. He was told he would never walk again. He found a doctor who was willing to perform a risky and experimental surgery over a period of two years. He spent a year in a body cast and underwent 17 months of grueling physical therapy five days a week. He DID walk again. The miraculous results were expected to last two to three years. He recovered enough and so strongly he competed in the Olympics... The Special Olympics. You see, my friend Michael Wasserman has Down Syndrome. This "Old Champ" (as his mother, Mary, calls him) stretched out this miracle 24 years and 24 days. He is now in a wheelchair and can no longer run, so I run for Michael!