How the Winter Olympics can remind us of the power of imagination

My younger brother, Kevan, and I were both diagnosed at a young age with SMA, so we grew up with power wheelchairs and powerful imaginations. We lived most of our childhood in our own pretend play world, where we could be spies, horse farmers, and baseball players; we could time-travel, swing from jungle vines, and slam-dunk basketballs. But whenever the Winter Olympics rolled around, our rubber wheels became sharp skating blades, and the big concrete slab that was our driveway transformed into a professional-grade ice rink.

I love the Winter Olympics, and I always have, especially the ice skating events. In 1998, figure skater Tara Lipinski (who is the same age as me) was my hero, and I wanted to be just like her. It thrilled me to watch speed skater Apolo Ohno in the early 2000s flying fearlessly around the rink at 40 mph. And every four years, I hope to see Team USA win gold in ice hockey; it’s only happened twice in history, and never in my lifetime, but hey, I believe in miracles!

Inspired by these real-life athletic legends, Kevan and I mastered the graceful, fluid skating motions that we saw on TV, making smooth figure eights around each other, zigzagging to mimic the puck maneuvering of the triple deke, leaning forward in our seats to maximize speed, and spinning tight donuts to land a triple axel.

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We imitated the focused expressions on the athletes’ faces, breathing heavily and wiping fake sweat from our furrowed brows. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t actually stand up, run, jump, or skate on our own weak and crooked feet, because in our imaginations we could do it all and more.

And I know we weren’t the only kids who played like this, either; children of all ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities pretend to be champions, heroes, and gold medalists. We all have superhuman strength and agility in the secret worlds inside our heads, where the limits become limitless.

This is a beautiful gift that the Olympics give to us as viewers and fans: They invite us to dream that anything is possible. So many of the athletes have incredible stories of resilience and perseverance, of doing hard things and overcoming obstacles — having a purposeful goal and relentlessly pursuing it. And when we get to see the climactic result of that journey, it sparks something in us that makes us hold our heads a little higher and believe that maybe we have that kind of potential, too.

Imagination is a powerful way to rise above our limitations and envision the best versions of ourselves. It helps us to blaze new trails and create new thought pathways, to get into the habit of considering all the incredible things we can do rather than spinning our wheels and staying stuck in the mud of what we cannot do. It helps us shape our own stories and gives us a more hopeful outlook on our future and our world.

As we watch the Olympic champions rise and the boundaries fall, let’s not only dream boldly, but also turn those visions into real-world action — because the greatest victories begin with imagination, but are achieved through courage.

Note: SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of SMA News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to spinal muscular atrophy.