Wheelchair basketball should go pro

A group of men playing wheelchair basketball.

© Sport the library/Bill Bachman.Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.Basketball, Day 04.Sandy Blythe (AUS) Shoots. Photo courtesy of Sport the Library/ Wikipedia

I appreciate that since I’ve been with Street Sense Media, it’s helped me to meet a lot of good people, including lawyers, NBA players, and talented stylists.

I recently met this guy and he said he wanted to know what Street Sense Media is. I invited him to our next meeting and told him that Street Sense Media helps to get people off the streets through their stories in the paper. He said he’s very interested, so he and his wife are going to check it out.

I appreciate that Street Sense Media makes me busy and motivates me to do more things that I’ve been wanting to do. A lot of people I run into be like, “Hey, you’re doing a good job.” 

For me, right now, I’m not gonna lie, there are people in West Africa, Liberia, that need more help. So I would be glad to see all different organizations help people in West Africa, Liberia, because people don’t have enough resources. The education sector in Liberia is weak because they don’t have no funding. They don’t have no money to go to school. So that’s why I’m going to do the Street Sense Media, to help people in West Africa, Liberia, and all over, like Sierra Leone, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and other countries.

And the United States, too. Because you’re all my people.

When I win the lottery, I’ll be willing to give back to Street Sense Media and Bread for the City and the NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association), so it can be professional like the NBA, so we can get paid for playing. Not only my team, but for all wheelchair basketball teams in the U.S. and its territories. In 2004, I told Kevin Durant and Lebron James about wheelchair basketball when I met them at the Stadium-Armory Metro. I was interviewed by the Wizards point guard, John Wall. All the NBA players know me. I took our team and we did a wheelchair basketball demonstration during the Wizards’ halftime.

Right now, what is on my mind is to move and to get a job. My apartment is flooded. So now I’m waiting to see if the NBA will help me to get a new place because right now I’m still waiting for the D.C. Housing Authority to relocate me at O St. Market, right down the street from Bread for the City. I’m still trying because a social worker did a conference call and they haven’t got back with her yet. So I’m trying to see if the NBA or ESPN, can hear my story because my apartment got flooded for a second time and they said because I didn’t have insurance to cover the water flow, I’m responsible for everything.

I want all the NBA players and all the people to hear my story on ESPN. I really, really want to move. Because my TV, my Xbox, everything is water damaged. All my clothes, everything. I had to trash most of it and put the rest in the living room chair above the water. 

So I’m just praying for the NBA to hear my story, I hope the owner of the Wizards can hear my story, so I can get out. 

While I’m there for now, I don’t want to live there anymore. They can contact me through street Sense Media. Call Thomas at extension 103.


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