Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah |
Nickname | Yeboah |
Nationality | Ghanaian |
Born | 1977 Ghana |
Sport | |
Country | South Africa |
Sport | Cycling |
Disability | Hemimelia |
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah is a Ghanaian athlete and disability rights activist from Koforidua. Yeboah was born in 1977 [1] with a severely deformed right leg. [2] In 2001, he rode the 400 mi (644 km) across Ghana [1] to bring attention to the plight of disabled people in that country. [2] In the process, he applied for a grant of a bicycle from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). [2]
After completing the cross-country trek in Ghana, the CAF invited him to participate in the 2002 Triathlon Challenge in San Diego, CA. [2] During the course of Yeboah's visit, doctors from Loma Linda University Medical Center informed him that he was an excellent candidate for a prosthetic leg. [2] Following a successful surgery and six-week recovery, Yeboah entered the CAF triathlon, reducing his time by 3 hours. [2] Yeboah was subsequently awarded the CAF Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year Award and Nike's Casey Martin award. [2]
Yeboah received approximately $50,000 from those awards. Upon returning to Ghana, he used the money to open the Emmanuel Education Fund for promising students with disabilities. [2] [3] In 2005, Yeboah's story was captured in Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey. [2] He is currently working on building schools for children in Ghana, with or without disabilities.[ citation needed] Usually, disabled kids in Ghana have to pay for their education, even at public schools.[ citation needed]