Katie Lynch Visit to FSU

This artifact is a newspaper article about a girl with a disability named Katie Lynch, who passed away in 2002. Katie Lynch was a native of Wayland, Massachusetts, and was born with a very rare form of dwarfism. She was thirty-five pounds and twenty-eight inches prior to her early death at the age of twenty-seven. She had two younger brothers and worked at Children’s Hospital as a patient’s advocate, where she’d been treated her whole life. She graduated from Wayland High School and went on to graduate from Regis College with summa cum laude honors. Many of the people that knew her personally found her to be very inspirational and determined. However, nationally, most people know her for her opening the 2001 Boston Marathon by walking the first 26.2 feet.

Katie Lynch obviously had a physically-impairing disability, but that didn’t stop her from achieving her goals, being an athlete and being an inspiration for everyone especially for people with disabilities. Lynch was always determined to make feats like the one she made in 2001 at the Boston Marathon. She is proof that people with disabilities, no matter how severe, can accomplish great things. It doesn’t matter whether those things be physical feats, mental feats, academic feats, or otherwise, anyone can achieve them, with a disability or not, and that’s what Lynch was determined to prove. Most of Lynch’s achievements were considerably notable for someone with such a severe condition as hers.

Dwarfism is a type of disability that comes in many different physical forms, obviously, but there are also multiple types of genetic dwarfisms. There is achondroplasia dwarfism, pituitary dwarfism, and many more varieties. Many people stare at and look down upon those who have a form of dwarfism. Some assume that they can’t do anything for themselves and are helpless, so to speak. However, this is completely untrue and the wrong assumption to make. Many people with dwarfism can function just as well as those of us who do not have dwarfism or any sort of disability.

Katie Lynch is just one of many successful people that have dwarfism. We know of many celebrities and famous people that have dwarfism but, didn’t let it stop them from making their dreams come true. A very well-known actor Peter Dinklage is most successful and loved for his role in Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lannister, for which he won a Golden Globe. P.T. Barnum’s circus had two very successful acts, Charles Sherwood Stratton and Leopald Kahn, both of which had a form of dwarfism. Other actors that also have dwarfism and are very successful include Kenny Baker who helped with the role of R2-D2 in the Star Wars Saga and Warwick Davis who played Willow and Professor Fenwick in the Harry Potter series. These are just a few examples of people who are successful and never let their disability take away from their determination and motivation.

Like most disability groups, dwarfism has associations that help and benefit those with any variation of dwarfism. A specific organization is the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA). They aim to supply people with dwarfism and equal opportunity to show their athletic abilities without being judge and allowing their skill sets to be taken seriously. The sports they host for athletes with dwarfism are track and field, basketball, boccia, swimming, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, and soccer. Every year the DAAA hosts an annual national games for all of these events for people with dwarfism.

Disability is not something that’s to be looked down upon, no matter the situation or the difference. People with disabilities can be as successful, if not more successful than those who do not, as shown through the story of Katie Lynch and the example of other very famous people.

Sommers, Kelsey. “Former WHS Student Inspires Marathon Runners.” Wayland Student Press, 7 May 2009, waylandstudentpress.com/6369/articles/former-whs-student-inspires-marathon-runners/. 

Vellante, John. “Giant Steps.” Boston.com, 14 Apr. 2001, archive.boston.com/marathon/stories/2001/giant_steps.htm.