ESPY Awards Salute Athletes With Disabilities

ESPY Awards Salute Athletes With Disabilities

Oprah Winfrey Presents 2005 Arthur Ashe Courage Award to American Jim MacLaren, And Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah of Ghana

LOS ANGELES, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim MacLaren, former Yale athlete and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah of Ghana, are the recipients of the 2005 Arthur Ashe Courage Award, presented this year by Oprah Winfrey at the ESPY Awards, sponsored by ESPN. The honorees were selected because they embody the spirit and courage that are the hallmarks of this prestigious award, named for late tennis legend and humanitarian, Arthur Ashe.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/NYTH060 )

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was born with a deformed leg in a country where a physical abnormality is considered a curse and most babies with a disability are left to die. Yeboah survived because his mother hid him from the eyes of strangers until he was old enough to thrive on his own and show his community that having a disability does not mean giving up. He is the subject of a soon to be released documentary, Emmanuel's Gift, which is narrated by Ms. Winfrey. The film chronicles Emmanuel's quest to ride his bicycle across Ghana, a distance of 370 miles, using just his one good leg to propel himself.

The mountain bike that changed Yeboah's life and how the people of Ghana now view disabilities, was a gift from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a charity created to assist Yeboah's co-recipient of the award, Jim MacLaren, himself an athlete with disabilities.

Jim MacLaren, who is also featured in the documentary, survived two near fatal accidents eight years apart, the first claiming a leg when he was struck by a bus while cycling on the streets of Manhattan. The second incident occurred after Jim had become the fastest amputee athlete on earth, completing the New York City Marathon in 4 hours and 4 minutes.

It was during the famed Iron Man Triathlon that this ex-Yale football and soccer all star was hit by a van, breaking his neck and leaving him a quadriplegic. Today Jim MacLaren has battled his way back to become a motivational speaker, inspiring people everywhere to challenge themselves and seek greatness in everything they do.

Rising to the Occasion Catches Audience Off Guard

Miss Winfrey, who introduced the winners from the stage of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Ca., shared footage from the documentary that captures the bond and friendship that has grown between Emmanuel and Jim. As MacLaren prepared to accept his award, he caught the audience unaware by transitioning his INDEPENDENCE(R) iBOT(TM) 3000 Mobility System into Balance Function, lifting him to full standing height. The emotional moment brought the audience to a standing, thunderous ovation that lasted several minutes.

The iBOT(TM), which was recently introduced by Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson Company, is the creation of famed inventor Dean Kamen. The device is a prescription product and has five functions that set it apart from all other personal mobility equipment. Aside from raising the user to eye level, the iBOT(TM) can climb and descend stairs, traverse uneven terrain, including sand and grass, can climb a curb and take the user where they want to go. For additional information about the iBOT(TM), visit http://www.ibotnow.com/. For additional information about the Challenged Athletes Foundation, visit: http://www.challengedathletes.org/.

Press Contacts: David Swearingen Aleksandar Milojica
Johnson & Johnson Van Vechten & Company
732-524-1744 561-620-2900

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/NYTH060
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Independence Technology

CONTACT: David Swearingen of Johnson & Johnson, +1-732-524-1744; or
Aleksandar Milojica of Van Vechten & Company, +1-561-620-2900, both for
Independence Technology

Web site: http://www.ibotnow.com/
http://www.challengedathletes.org/

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