Meet Emmanuel Yeboah — his is another story of overcoming disability in face of outrageous adversity to achieve and inspire greatness. Only Emmanuel, born with no tibia (i.e. the Shinbone, which connects the knee to the foot) in his right leg, has transcended more than just his own personal physical limitations… he has challenged and changed the stunted perceptions of an entire nation.
A son of Ghana, Emmanuel was born one-legged into a culture where handicaps are viewed with grave superstition and antagonism. His mother was believed cursed for sins committed, and was encouraged to abandon, even kill, her newborn child. The father, when he saw his deformed son, left the family never to return. Such were the odds into which Emmanuel’s life began.
But Emmanuel was born under a lucky star, or rather… a strong impassioned mother. Comfort Yeboah promised her son that he would “go to school and become a great man.” And for the first years of his life, she would carry him the 2 miles to and from school, in her arms. After that, when he was old enough, Emmanuel would hop, on one leg, the entire distance. He was the only student with a disability. And yet, in spite of the teasing and discrimination, he worked hard to buy a soccer ball, and learned to play (and excel) on one leg and makeshift crutches.
At thirteen his mother passed away. On her death bed, she pulled him close and whispered “Don’t let anybody put you down because of your disability.” Emmanuel moved to the capital, Accra, where he struggled on his own for the next 10 years, shining shoes and earning $2 a day, less than he would make as a handicap beggar. But his pride, his noble sense of human dignity kept his dreams and spirit shining. In a country so dismissive of the disabled, Emmanuel set out to have his voice heard.
He devised a plan to ride a bike across the 380 miles length of Ghana with only his one leg. Having never written a letter in his life, Emmanuel applied for a grant from California-based Challenged Athlete Foundation (CAF) , a terrific organization that supports disabled athletes. They were so impressed, they sent him a bike, equipment and $1000. Emmanuel began to ride.
In 2001, at the age of 24, Emmanuel spent several months crossing the great stretch of his native country. He wore a bright red shirt with “Pozo” (Ghana slang for “disabled), and stopped along the way to give speeches to villagers, dignitaries, disabled children, and the growing numbers of media. A mass of people began to follow him on his ride, swelling at times to the hundreds. He became a local hero, a national celebrity. His fearlessness to speak out against the social stigmas, and even the governments policy, against handicap people earned him the respect of the country, and of its King, Osagyefuo. At the end of his odyssey, he became the first disabled person to set-foot on the sacred grounds of the palace to meet the King.
In his Emmanuel’s own words: “I wanted people to know that if you are a disabled person in your leg, you’re not a disabled person in your mind.” His journey broke the deep-seated myths of his superstitious culture, and shifted the views of an entire country toward the plight and potential of their handicap citizens.
Since then, Emmanuel has inspired an international wave of support and accolade. He is the recipient of the Challenged Athlete Foundation’s Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year, 2003. Nike’s Casey Martin Award, 2003; Cinequest’s Life of a Maverick Award, 2005. And the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2005, an award he shared with his personal hero Jim McLaren.
All of the money he has received has gone toward the Emmanuel Education Fund, supported by King Osagyefuo himself. The fund provides opportunities to disabled Ghanans, distributing hundreds of wheelchairs to handicapped street beggars, establishing a Sports Academy for disabled athletes, and establishing cycling, running and wheelchair basketball teams. Emmanuel continues to work closely with the Minister of Education to pass pro-disability rights legislation.
Here is a boy who was born with his back against the wall. Who’s life bore the marked promise of adversity and despair. Who’s mother gave him a different promise, a untapped path. Who rose up, one-legged, tall, inner torch held high and shone his light across the dark corners of his nation. Who proved that disability is not a physical obstacle, but a state of mind. And that we can change it, we can surpass it, we as individuals, as human beings are capable of any and everything. We just have to believe. We just have to achieve. We just have to inspire.
Thank you Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboa for being a becon of positivity. SuperForest salutes you!
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