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Cheryl Angelelli, of Clinton Township has been selected by the RARE Foundation of Troy as its second 2008 Everyday Hero award recipient. |
Cheryl Angelelli, of Clinton Township has been selected by the RARE Foundation of Troy as its second 2008 Everyday Hero award recipient.
Disabled at age 14 in a competitive swimming accident, Angelelli overcame her personal tragedy to become an outstanding communications professional, a world-class athlete and an inspiration to thousands. Not bad for someone who was told by doctors immediately following her paralysis that she would never lead “an ordinary life”.
Following her rehabilitation, Angelelli returned to Regina High School in her wheelchair, graduated in 1986, attended Macomb Community College and earned her communications degree from Oakland University. Along the way, she was named Ms. Wheelchair of Michigan in 1991 and traveled extensively as a motivational speaker addressing audiences of people with disabilities. In 1998, she returned to competitive swimming, after a fifteen year absence, and two years later qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Team. She competed in both the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney and the 2004 Games in Athens where she won two bronze medals for the United States.
She recently won two gold medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships and is currently ranked number one in the world in both the 200-meter and 100-meter freestyle. Along with her husband and personal coach, Shawn Kornoelje, she’s now in training for the U.S. Paralympic Team trials in Minneapolis April 3-5. If victorious, she’ll head for Korea in August to train with the U.S. Paralympic SwimTeam, then on to the Summer Games in Beijing, where this time she hopes to win gold.
Just last month, Angelelli was honored by The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame with the Tony Filippis Courage Award.
As Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM), Angelelli lives what she considers to be her dream job. Many days, she can be found in RIM’s state-of-the-art Brasza Outpatient and Fitness Center monitoring the progress of patients, and more importantly, encouraging and mentoring them through their rehabilitation. A plaque of Angelelli graces the north wall of the Center, as a member of the Michigan Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame.
Terry Ahwal Director of Development for RIM and Cheryl’s nominator for the RARE Award said, “Cheryl is not only the spokesperson for the Center, she is our greatest ambassador on behalf of all people with disabilities. She not only coined the phrase ‘Life Without Limitations,’ she lives her life by it every day. Cheryl continues to be an inspiration to so many. She has turned stumbling blocks into stepping stones and tragedy into triumph.”
Angelelli will tell you, as she told the audience at the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in February, “The doctors were right; I would never lead an ordinary life. Instead, I have led an extraordinary life. My wheelchair has taken me places and taught me things about myself that my legs never would have.”
Angelelli will be honored, along with this year’s other RARE Award recipients at the Foundation’s annual “Night of Heroes” dinner in September at the Gem Theatre, although there’s a very good chance that she’ll miss the event because she’ll still be in Beijing. RARE Executive Director, Alan Hibbert, said, “It just means there’ll be a few hundred more people back here in Detroit loudly cheering her on.”
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