9-year old hurdles her disability to be in PossAbilities Triathlon

April 27, 2008

by Wall, Staff Writer

Abbey Umali does not care if she comes in last place.

The 9-year-old girl is just happy to compete in the sixth annual

PossAbilities Triathlon today at Loma University.

Abbey - who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy - will compete

against other able-bodied athletes in her age group.

" First, we run, then we bike, then we swim, " said Abbey, the Muscular

Dystrophy Association's 2008 National Goodwill Ambassador. " It's

really fun. "

According to the university, PossAbilities is a community outreach

program developed by the Loma University Orthopaedic and

Rehabilitation Institute. Its goal is to offer people with

disabilities who were born with or have suffered a permanent physical

injury a sense of community and provide activities and practical help

to integrate them into society.

When she was 2 years old, Abbey was diagnosed with a form of Charcot-

Marie-Tooth disease, characterized by lack of balance and

coordination as well as muscle weakness.

Abbey walks with the aid of leg braces.

But the third-grader at Montessori in Redlands does not feel sorry

for herself.

Abbey loves to read, sing, play the piano and visit libraries,

bookstores and animal parks. When she grows up, Abbey wants to be a

veterinarian.

As ambassador, she travels through the United States and represents

families that are affected by neuromuscular diseases and participates

in Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Today, Abbey will be competing in her third triathlon.

" She was born with a lot of determination, " said Wendi Umali, Abbey's

mother. " She doesn't let anything get her down. Anything she wants to

do, she just goes after it. "

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