Leroy and Dartanyon were recently interviewed on WRUW-FM 91.1 (Cleveland).

Listen to the program here:

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Recently Leroy and Dartanyon flew to Atlanta to tape a segment for BET Television’s Mo’Nique Show. It was a great experience for the two of them! They had the opportunity to witness the fast-paced, inner-workings of a television studio as well as the energy and excitement of Atlanta. You can catch Mo’Nique’s fun and touching interview Monday, October 19th on BET at 11PM EST. (If you have cable, chances are you get BET.)

Below are Leroy and Dartanyon’s first person accounts of what it was like to appear on the show. By the way, a special thanks goes out to Lincoln West High School Wrestling Coaches Mr. Robinson & Mr. Hons for continuing to be there for Leroy & Dartanyon.

Leroy’s thoughts…
Dar and I had a trip to the A-T-L with Coach Robinson. That was an awesome trip. We went down to be on the Mo’Nique show. When I got there, I knew I was going to meet my favorite female comedian – Mo’Nique.  But,  I didn’t expect to meet my favorite male comedian — Kevin Hart.  I also got to meet multiplatinum artist Musiq Soulchild. Meeting those three was one of my dreams. To be told that we were an inspiration by Kevin, Mo’Nique, and Musiq, well that just made my soul tickle. I got moments that people would die for –  to joke with Kevin Hart and to sing to Musiq Soulchild and to be on Mo’Nique show. I feel like so lucky to have that moment and hope I can have it again one day.  I also hope someday I can help make other people’s dreams come true.

Dartanyon’s reaction…
The past couple of weeks have been just wonderful. Words cannot explain how great my experiences were, especially on the Atlanta trip. It was the first time I was ever star-struck. We met Mo’nique, who is an actress and comedian. She flew Leroy and I out to Atlanta to be on her new BET talk show. It was amazing. Mo’nique is a wonderful person.  She is totally hilarious. We also met Kevin Hart and Musiq Soulchild.  Those two are great!  Music Soulchild is down to earth and easy to talk to.  Atlanta is great as well.  I hope I can go back and spend more time there one day.

Later that same week, Mr. Hons took Leroy and me to a health care conference in Columbus, Ohio.  We were invited by the organizers.  They showed our video and then brought us on stage to surprise the crowd.  We got to tell more about our lives and answered a lot of questions.  It went pretty well, and a lot of people took pictures with us.  It was a fun day.

Recently, Dartanyon shared his struggles and his ultimate inspiration in an assignment for his English course at Cuyahoga Community College. We were touched by his candor and determination to never give up. We hope in some small way it inspires you to Carry On.

Reading this passage made me think of the struggles that I had to face to get to where I am today. There were many obstacles that I had to face along the way, including discouraging authority figures and even family members who truly believed that at one point I wouldn’t amount to anything. The disability that I have made me somewhat of an outcast when I was a lot younger. Through it all it still made me the person I am today.

The people that believed that I wouldn’t amount to anything taught me a tough and very valuable lesson in life. In life people will say some of the most hurtful things, and some or even most of those people will be the closest ones to you. That’s why you have to stay true to who you are. You can’t let what anyone tell you that you can’t reach you goals or turn your dreams into reality. No one can dictate where you will end up in life that’s up for you to decide.

I honestly, for a time never thought I would that I would ever make it this far. There would be points in my life that I would ask myself, “Where do I go from here?” and, “What do I do now?” At one point I thought school would be the hardest part of growing up; however, it was actually the easiest. It was like a short escape from the life that I had; the life that I didn’t want, but looking back on it now, the trails and hardships that I faced made me much stronger.

Life was hard growing up, it’s hard even now; however, when I was growing up I learned that you won’t gain anything if you don’t put in hard work. Through all the pain and struggle, the love and memory of one person is what kept me in my right state if mind. That person is my mother. She passed when I was eight years old. For a while I used to think I would never make it without her, but I realized that her love and spirit lives on within me. Knowing that she wanted the best for me and wants me to never give up, or give in to life’s temptations and cruelty’s, that is what kept me strong.

I still had people along the way that would help me, but my mother was my main inspiration. That’s why I cannot fail. I won’t fail. I also learned that failure comes to those who let it, but greatness comes to those who want it. If you don’t have faith in who you are and what you believe in, and ready to give up when life gets hard then you will surely fail. Life is a vigorous journey with many twist and turns ups and downs, for some it comes easy, as for others like me it come terrifyingly hard. That why at times, you have to struggle to get to where you want to be in life.

In early September, the U.S. Paralympics flew Dartanyon and Leroy to Colorado Springs training headquarters.

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In early September, a gracious ESPN viewer gave Leroy the opportunity to visit his college of choice in Arizona to ensure he would be comfortable there.  From there, the U.S. Paralympics flew him to Colorado Springs where he and Dartanyon visited the Olympic training headquarters.

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