What an inspiration!

By now, you’ve probably heard about 21-year-old Henry Cejudo, who won a gold medal at the Olympics this week in freestyle wrestling.

He holds many distinctions—among them, he’s the youngest to ever win gold. But if you haven’t heard the rest of his story, check it out. He’s the son of illegal immigrants, raised most of his life by his mom after his dad bounced around in the jail system, no doubt a result of his substance abuse problems.

Henry spent his high school years in my new hometown, Phoenix. And despite the hardships and all he had going against him, Henry persevered, won two Arizona state titles at the high school level, and went on to capture his dream.

He’s a real inspiration to me, and certainly can be an inspiration to kids whose families have endured pain and suffering from a loved one’s substance abuse problem.

Thanks, Henry, we hope to cheer for you as you achieve even more in the future.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/2008/08/02/20080802olycejudo0803.html
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