In 1992, Patrick Byrne lost a leg in a construction accident. Though he considered �quitting� at that time, he made the positive choice to live fully and accept his disability, with the support of family and friends. Not an athlete prior to his accident, his involvement in sports since then has allowed him to reclaim his life and find meaning.

Byrne believes that if you seek a goal earnestly and work hard, rewards await you. After his injury, he became involved in virtually all the sports offered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), and helped to found the RIC Blackhawks sled hockey team (http://www.richealthfit.org/programs/sledhockey.htm). In 2002, he competed with this team to win the Paralympics gold medal (http://www.usolympicteam.com/paralympics/news_33156.htm): He emphasizes what an awe-inspiring experience it was to win the gold medal and be the best in the world.

Read the entire column at http://www.ncpad.org/335/1993/Paralympian~Gold~Medalist~Finds~ Meaning~in~Sports.