Eight Gold Medals Even While Missing The Lower Half Of Both Arms, His Left Leg and His Tongue

Having had surgery to straighten out a very deviated septum last week – the deviated brain is beyond repair – and having slept only an hour or two each night, I was feeling a bit low until I read about Kaike…

Brazilian Luis Henrique Medina – more commonly known as Kaike – was born with no tongue, he is missing the lower half of both arms, half of his left leg and he’s a world class, gold medal table tennis champion.

Last week 60 year old Kaike was in Costa Rica representing Brazil in the Paralympics Table Tennis Tournament which was held in the Palacio de los Deportes in Heredia.

In an interview, Luis Henrique Medina said that: “I have never felt any attitude of discrimination or rejection, I have adapted and always look for the positive in my disability.” “Nunca sentí ninguna actitud de discriminación o rechazo, he ido adaptándome y siempre busco lo positivo de mi discapacidad.”

Although Luis Henrique is a biologist by profession and for 36 years has been studying cancerous cells he is now focused on improving his table tennis skills which have taken him to tournaments around the world, to places like Italy, the USA, Rumania and now Costa Rica.

Kaike is also now writing a book: My Home, My School, My Life. “In the book, he deals with issues like sexuality, facing fears and every feeling that comes with the passage of time; not forgetting that hope, perseverance and joy characterizes life…”

Reading about inspiring people like Kaike certainly makes me stop and think how lucky I really am and how much more difficult life would be for any of us if like Kaike, in addition to the ‘tough’ days we all have from time to time, I also had to deal with the fact that I had no tongue, I was missing the lower half of both of my arms and half of my left leg!

Oh! And yes! Kaike did win a gold medal in the individual category of the competition.

How lucky do you feel today?

[custom_script adID=97]

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 4. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raices en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.