PHOENIX — One Valley 19-year-old is defying his childhood diagnosis as he prepares to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon.
Michael Wilson continues to make strides toward his dream goal.
Michael's mother Lis Wilson recalled the conversation with doctors about his diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
”We don’t know if he’s ever going to walk, he may not run. Running is completely out of this."
Lis says her son’s cerebral palsy, at times, kept him from playing with other children the way he wanted to. That was something his third-grade teacher, Mindy Przeor, recognized.
Przeor says she urged students to "lace 'em up and hit the track" with a run club.
Przeor started the club in 2008, during a time of recession when after-school programs were hard to get funding for. She decided to start a run club in part because it was cheap to operate.
This is where Michael was able to begin making strides.
“[To see the kids] light up to be so empowered. 'I can do [the] hard thing, I’m not limited to a diagnosis, not limited to what people tell me,'” said Przeor.
The small club then adopted a mission from when Przeor met actor Sean Astin during a race.
Astin starred in famous movies such as Rudy, The Goonies, and Lord of the Rings.
She says the mission is a "mindset while running, in part to get your mind off the miles left to go and the forming blisters on your feet."
Run first for yourself, run second for your family, and run third for others.
That's their club's mission statement.
There are now at least 14 Valley schools that have adopted the club's mission, one of them named Run 3rd Alliance.
”It’s great for the kids that don’t have something else, they have a place in our running club,” said Przeor.
With a running coach by his side, Michael’s short-term goal is to finish the Boston Marathon with a pace anywhere between an eight- to nine-minute mile, which would be just under four hours.
While training, Michael says he's thinking about what he has overcome to get where he is now and the help from his family and friends he has met on the track.
Soon, he will inspire others just like him.
“'Hey, you’re disabled you ran this long race and it was under four hours,'” said Micheal. “That would be amazing.”
Michael is planning to run the Boston Marathon as a charity runner.
He’s been tasked with raising $10,000. All money raised goes back to Run 3rd Alliance to continue its afterschool running clubs.
Once he crosses the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston, Michael's long-term goal is to run across the U.S. – coast to coast.
To help toward Michael's fundraising goal, click here.