US Paralympic Star Frech Wants To Take Stigma Out Of Disability

AFP/APP

Paris: Ezra Frech’s dream is to become the most successful Paralympian in history and with two golds at the age of 19 he is well on his way but his goal is to use his high profile to “de-stigmatise” disability.

Frech was born with missing bones in his left leg and just one finger on his left hand aged two he had to have his left leg amputated and one of the toes from that foot transplanted onto his hand.

“When I was younger I used to be really upset why was I born like this and get really down on myself,” the Californian told CBS KCAL9 in 2020.

“Then I realised as I got older I was born this way and (there was) no need to sulk in the sadness.” Instead he resolved to “make the most of my life, be the best athlete and student I can,” the T63 high jump world record holder added.

He easily won that event at the Paralympics in Paris on Tuesday, having claimed a surprise gold in the men’s T63 100m the night before.

His parents father Clayton and Iranian-born mother Bahar Soomekh  readily embraced his positivity, but his mother said he was named Ezra for a reason.

“It was hard, I have to admit, my first baby and I had never heard of a child being born missing limbs,” Soomekh told the same media outlet.

“It was a complete and total shock for me but there was this belief that there was a purpose and reason for this child to be here hence why we named him Ezra.

“Ezra means to help, to teach.”

Her son has lived up to his name. Along with his parents, they created Angel City Sports, a not-for-profit entity that holds some 250 adaptive sports clinics a year for disabled athletes.

Frech is mindful of “how many barriers there are to engaging in disabled sport”, such as prosthetic blades costing $15,000, expensive racing wheelchairs. After all, children with a disability “cannot just roll up to a YMCA and play basketball.”

“I am most proud of me and my family organising Angel City Sports because sports can last only so long but the impacts it makes on children and veterans’ lives lasts forever,” Frech told CBS.