Watch video:
http://www.lex18.com/news/limitations-d ... tyPhoto/0/
Danville High School heavyweight wrestler Elliott Porter regularly beats opponents who outweigh him by 40 pounds or more.
With a record of 38-1, Kentuckywrestling.com ranks him eighth in the state in the heavyweight class.
For a big man Porter has quick feet. He also utilizes excellent technique to take advantage of opponents. And strong. Porter can bench press more than 300 pounds.
With one arm.
Yes, you read that right.
In fact, Porter does pretty much everything with one arm.
His left arm is significantly smaller and weaker than his right.
"I can't roll it for real. I've got thumb motion. I've got bicep function, but I don't have any tricep function."
He can't lift that left arm any higher than his nose.
"I always say I suffered a brachial plexus injury at birth, causing limited function in my left arm due to nerve damage."
He rattles it off quickly and smoothly, in a manner that would make any doctor proud. Perhaps that indicates the degree to which he's accepted his condition.
Porter underwent his first surgery when he was 3-years-old.
"The night before, the bottom of the light switch had actually had broken off, exposing some wires, and I though, oh great, opportunity here," his mother, Mary Carol Porter said. "And I explained to Elliott that he had the light switch, which was his brain, and he had the light bulb, which was his arm, but he didn't have the wires that connected the two. He just pats my hand with his little hand, and he said, 'It's OK Mom, God has a plan for me,' and he said, 'I'm gonna change the world.'"
Sports became the focus of that plan.
"I was kind of pushing soccer," his mom said.
But Porter loves to wrestle. And opponents quickly find his physical limitations aren't so limiting. He's learned to attack with his right side and defend his left side. And he enjoys an advantage over many of his opponents - that light switch - his brain.
"You've just got to overcome and work with what you've got," he said.
impressive OBPI wrestler
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Christopher
- Posts: 845
- Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2003 10:09 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: Date of Injury: 12/15/02
Level of Injury:
-dominant side C5, C6, & C7 avulsed. C8 & T1 stretched & crushed
BPI Related Surgeries:
-2 Intercostal nerves grafted to Biceps muscle,
-Free-Gracilis muscle transfer to Biceps Region innervated with 2 Intercostal nerves grafts.
-2 Sural nerves harvested from both Calves for nerve grafting.
-Partial Ulnar nerve grafted to Long Triceps.
-Uninjured C7 Hemi-Contralateral cross-over to Deltoid muscle.
-Wrist flexor tendon transfer to middle, ring, & pinky finger extensors.
Surgical medical facility:
Brachial Plexus Clinic at The Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
(all surgeries successful)
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
~Theodore Roosevelt - Location: Los Angeles, California USA
Re: impressive OBPI wrestler
I loved this! Thank you!!! Joshua (LOBPI, almost 8) has two younger brothers and they always wrestle... and Joshua always gets skunked, even though he has FAR more function than this boy. I'll show him the video... then maybe he'll see that it doesn't have to be that way!
Kate
Kate