Joe Wise, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at La Entrada Middle School in Menlo Park, has a respiratory condition that prevents him from doing any physical exercise but swimming. But Joe is making the most of his opportunity in that sport, surprising both doctors and other competitors by becoming one of the country’s best paralyzed swimmers in any age group.
He won the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. Paralympics National Championships in San Antonio on August 10 in the S10 Classification, the most physically able grouping. He was the youngest swimmer in his race, according to his mother, Marie Wise, and is ranked 17th in the world in the event — not among juniors, but overall.
Joe suffers from Mitochondrial Myopathy Muscular Dystrophy, a disease that wears away at his muscles and has brought his pulmonary function to only 34 percent of its capacity, Ms. Wise said.
He began swimming six years ago to expand his lung capacity because he was suffering from asthma at the time. In 2003, doctors told him that swimming was the only sport he could do, and he now swims five to six days a week with Palo Alto Aquatics and coach Mark Taliaferro.
Ms. Wise said that doctors have been amazed at Joe’s feats because generally, kids with his disease at such an advanced state are confined to wheelchairs and use respirators full-time. Joe uses a respirator at night and for two hours a day, and is joined by friends when he uses it at lunch, Ms. Wise said.
She added that he is currently training to make the U.S. Paralympics Para-Pan American team for the 2007 games, and that he also hopes to qualify for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
