Sunday, July 29, 2012

Running for his life

During the Olympic season, we hear many inspiration stories.  Here's one involving Lopez Lomong, who was the flagbearer for Team USA at the 2008 Opening Ceremony in Beijing.  Lopez Lomong was one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, who came to the US at age 16.  In his recently-released book, Running for my Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, he tells the story of "his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike sponsored athlete on the US Olympic Team" (from the book description).  The opening pages of the book tell the story of his separation from his family at the hands of a truck full of armed soldiers.  Lomong ends his description of this horrific incident in this way:  "I didn't know it at the time, but my childhood had just ended.  I was six years old."  Click here to visit his website where you can learn about him, his book and his foundation, "4 South Sudan," which exists to "bring hope to families who face the realities of poverty and the lingering impact of daily violence."  Additionally, watch the video below (sponsored by Tide) to hear Lopez tell his story (e-mail subscribers, click here if you do not see a video link below).

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