
For people with disabilities, life is anything but easy. However, seeing people with such hardships pursuing the things they love, despite this fact, is truly inspirational.
This Saturday night fans will be crowding the Los Angeles stadium for the Dodgers home game. Though in addition to the exciting strikes and home runs, fans will witness a “ceremonial” first pitch.
Tom Willis, a man who was born without arms, will be conducting this first pitch. However, with a lack of arms, Willis will be using his more than capable feet.
And this man is not simply pitching for fun but rather using it as part of his “Pitch for Awareness” national campaign in which Willis will travel to all 30 major league stadiums in order to promote a better understanding that people with disabilities are still capable of numerous things.
“I want to raise people’s awareness of the abilities of a person with a disability, not to focus o what they can’t do but on what they can do,” said Willis.
Willis was diagnosed at birth with a congenital bilateral upper limb deficiency in which both of his arms did not develop properly. However, Willis has found that his condition does not have to limit him. He drives his own car with the simple aid of a foot-steering system, can do his own laundry, pump his own gas, and is currently working as an independent TV producer and motivational speaker.
His campaign started in 2008 when he threw the first pitch at his hometown stadium of the San Diego Padres. Willis is now continuing his dream of traveling to Fenway Park on July 7 as well as numerous other stadiums throughout his tour.