William Flaherty led a tough childhood
As a 3-year-old toddler, William was diagnosed with a fatal illness called ‘hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis’. With a mere 10 percent chance of survival, he underwent a bone marrow transplant.??There were days we didn?t know if he would live through the day. I?ll never forget holding my child and not knowing if he was going to live.? said his mother.
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The donor who saved his life was his own brother Charles, who is also a Skier and is representing Puerto Rico in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Journey to the Winter Olympics
William Flaherty has had 30 operations so far and his courage to compete at the Olympic level is supernatural. On Sunday he will represent Puerto Rico in the giant slalom at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Life has been tough for the 17-year-old teenager and coping with all the medical issues can be annoying for anybody.
He loves skiing more than anything and said, ?Skiing is really helpful because it forces me to focus on one thing and once I?m on skis, I can only focus on skiing. It?s a good way to take your mind off of the everything else that?s going on in our crazy lives.”
Amidst his ski training and medical checkups, the champion takes out some time for studies as well. He plans to pursue aerospace engineering after recovering from the surgery.
William Flaherty is just a teenager, but he has an amazing message for the entire world.
He said, ?All my medical problems have definitely helped with my motivation.I really want to prove to all the other transplant survivors that they can do whatever they want in life. Just because you have medical complications in the past, it doesn?t define who you are today, and you can move on with your life and keep going and achieve whatever you want.?
He is indeed a true champion.
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