“No matter what award you get I’m proud of you,” said Lisa Wheeler to her 10 year-old son Matthew who had just completed competition in his first-ever Special Olympics North Carolina state-level competition.

The young bowler stood nervously waiting to hear his name. Cheers erupted as other athletes accepted their awards. Lisa Wheeler continued to give Matthew words of encouragement but was getting concerned. She had no expectations for him to win a medal so to watch the sixth, fifth and fourth place ribbons handed out had her uneasy.

Had Matthew’s score been overlooked or had he been disqualified. The bronze medal was awarded and then silver. How would she handle her son’s disappointment? As she ran the possibilities through her head, she heard over the microphone, “And winner of the gold medal is Matthew Wheeler of Cabarrus County”.

“It was shocking,” recalls a tearful Wheeler. “In that split second (four years ago) our lives changed. I’ve never seen Matthew so happy. I’ll never forget the look of pure joy on his face. That’s when we knew Special Olympics was for keeps.”

After their son’s success, both Lisa and her husband, Ronald Wheeler, became certified Special Olympics bowling coaches. They wanted to learn more about Special Olympics and be as supportive of their son as possible.

“Special Olympics has brought our family closer together,” said Lisa. “It allowed us as parents to be proud of our children and see them succeed. Special Olympics is our second family. We have a support network and have made wonderful friends.”

Bowling is still Matthew’s favorite sport but now at age 14, he competes year-round in Special Olympics basketball, softball and soccer. His 10 year-old sister Emily also competes in Special Olympics. She adds swimming, basketball, bowling and soccer as the list of sports in which she competes. The Wheelers have become certified coaches in all the sports their children compete in except for aquatics. It’s a family affair.

The Wheelers also credit Special Olympics with improving the quality of life for their children. Emily is partially deaf and has written expression disorder. Her self-confidence has risen tremendously since participating in Special Olympics. She is able to be herself and not worry about being called out for being different. She has made many close friends in Special Olympics.

Matthew battles severe epilepsy, autism and mild cerebral palsy. He was quiet and introverted before finding success in Special Olympics.

“He’s grown so much,” said Lisa. “At first on trips to competitions, he’d clam up and ride with his head down and lean against the window. Now he runs his mouth all the time, sings and in the last year has begun to give his coaches hi-fives. I believe he feels comfortable with the people in Special Olympics. He knows he won’t be made fun of.”

The family must fight Matthew’s health issues every day so they have adopted a team approach to their battle and Special Olympics plays an important role. Matthew tells his physical therapist the sport he’s competing in each season and she uses sports drills to improve his upper body strength, stamina and muscle-memory. His occupational therapist is also always aware of what sport he is practicing so she too incorporates activities that involve similar muscle groups. Emily acts as a second mom and knows how to react and what to do when her older brother and basketball teammate has one of his daily seizures. Matthew’s Special Olympics basketball coach and school teachers have been educated on his conditions as well.

The Wheelers often think back on that day in 2004 when their son accepted a gold medal atop the awards stand. “This is where we belong,” they said and that holds true today too.

For more information, contact Megan O'Donnell, vice president of communications for SONC, at 919-719-7662 ext. 106 or modonnell@sonc.net.