ENJOYING LIFE TO THE FULLEST WITH HER TEAMMATES
In her speech delivered at the recent Special Olympics' Healthy Athlete Welcome Event, Crystal Womack gushed about how the event has kept her and her fellow athletes active and fit.
Hi, my name is Crystal Womack, and I have been a Special Olympics Washington athlete for 12 years. I compete in several sports, including track and field, golf, bowling, figure skating, and speed skating. In order to be a great athlete, I need to be healthy. I was born with a heart defect called Tricuspid Atresia, I am a type 1 diabetic, I am vision impaired (not due to my diabetes), and I have scoliosis on top of all that. All of my disabilities do not stop me from doing what I love, which is figure skating. My teammates face their own health challenges, as well. It is important that health professionals are trained to treat people with intellectual disabilities. I hope that my community will include people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and make sure we can be healthy, too.
Special Olympics gives me the tools and information I need to be healthy. I track my steps every day, and I try to reach at least 8,000 a day. My teammates and friends that competed at Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle tracked their steps, as well. Some even took over one million steps before competing at the national competition. Holy Cow! Being active in Special Olympics has helped me by getting me out of the house (so I don't become a couch potato or stuff my face full of junk food!) It helps to keep me active all year round, where I work different muscles of my body and mind. Healthy Athletes has also been important to me in other ways. For example, I have had my eyes examined and received prescription glasses. I have received tennis shoes fitted by professionals, which is important because sometimes I can't afford shoes. I have also completed hearing tests, and I have had my teeth checked out through Healthy Athletes.
At the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, I went through the Special Smiles screening. While at the Special Smiles screening, the dentist was concerned about one of my teeth. It has been broken for five years, and I had some cavities, as well. The dentist told me that there was a dental mobile unit outside of the screening where I could have those problems fixed right away. Because of my tricuspid atresia, I have to have antibiotics before I have any dental work. The dentists were able to write me a prescription for the antibiotics I need, and I was able to go to the dental mobile unit. They were able to fill three cavities and temporarily fixed the broken tooth. The dentist also took x-rays of my teeth and found out t hat my top wisdom teeth are coming in. The dentist arranged an oral surgeon who is able to take out my wisdom teeth and finish some of the cavity work. I am very grateful for the dentists who were at USA Games for connecting me with the care I need! To me, Special Olympics is having friends to play sports with, without getting asked why I am the way I am. It means keeping active and enjoying life to the fullest, with teammates at my side. I had a wonderful time spending time at USA Games in Seattle, and I hope I get to go in 2022 in Florida to play a sport in. Wish me luck! •
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Crystal Womack has been a Special Olympics Washington athlete for 12 years, playing golf, bowling, speed skating, athletics, and figure skating (her favorite). Crystal became a Health Messenger at the beginning of 2018, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle is nothing new to Crystal. Crystal wanted to take on the leadership role to help her fellow WA athletes to improve their own health, and she is passionate about improving the way doctors interact with and care for individuals with ID.