|
By Tim Wendel
When his grandfather died, Brendan Foley gradually withdrew from everyday life. His isolation became so extreme, he even refused to join his family at the dinner table.
 |
Brendan Foley has been with Special Olympics for more than 12 years and has participated in a number of sports including tenpin bowling, bocce and tennis, in addition to softball. Foley trains four times a week, playing softball on Sunday and working out at the gym. He also works 30 hours a week and likes to read, watch science fiction movies and walk his dog.
| Yet on day three of the 2007 Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, China, Foley will be in uniform for the Special Olympics Australia softball team, as the Aussies return to the diamond in Special Olympics play for the first time since 1995.
"My father's death really rocked him," said Lyn Foley, Brendan's mother. "That's when sports, Special Olympics, became so important in his life. Playing sports, being a part of a team helped bring Brendan back to us."
Foley competed in bocce and swimming before becoming the only player from New South Wales to make this year's Special Olympics Australia squad. He works out five times a week and is known for his strong throwing arm.
"He's got a gun," said coach Trish McLean. "Must be the weight work I do," Foley added as the team finished working out at the Shanghai Pudong Baseball Field. "I like being on a team."
In this World Games, Foley could see action at second, shortstop, third base or in the outfield. Still, his favorite position remains pitcher. "That's the best," said the 33-year-old, who has Down syndrome.
Away from the field, Foley enjoys watching history documentaries with his father. After talking softball, he mentioned a number of top military leaders -- Washington, Grant, Lee -- before explaining that General George Patton could have been labeled intellectually disabled. "Patton was dyslexic," Foley said. "I bet you didn't know that."
When the Australian team paraded into Shanghai Stadium during the Opening Ceremony, nobody cheered louder than Lyn Foley. "If it wasn't for Special Olympics, Brendan could still be locked away from the world," said Foley, who was at the 2007 World Games as Special Olympics Australia's aquatics coordinator. "What the family later realized was that the concept of death had profoundly changed Brendan's life. Special Olympics helped bring him out of his room and allowed him to reconnect with the everyday world.
"I'd mortgage the house for him to have opportunities like this. You'd never have to ask me twice." |
