Andrew Haraghey Paralympic Goal

Hello, my name is Andrew Haraghey, and I am an alpine ski racer training to make the U.S. Paralympic Ski team. At six months old, I came down with viral encephalitis which is when I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in my lower extremities.  This means that I have severe muscle tension from the waist down, which makes daily tasks difficult.
Although my cerebral palsy does affect my daily life and my gait, skiing allows me to surpass that. I got started skiing at seven years old, and have been improving ever since. It has put me on a level playing with people who do not have a physical disability. 
I started ski racing four years ago, and have been steadily making gains to the point where I am now ranked between fifth and seventh in the nation in all five of my events, with a bronze finish in slalom at U.S. nationals this past season. 
Your donation will be a big help to my upcoming season, and would allow me to be able to achieve my goal of making the U.S. Paralympic ski team. It would allow me to compete and train on the same caliber as the U.S. team athletes. Additionally, it would make attending all the races necessary to rank higher and make the U.S. team, and to be able to afford new equipment as required by the International Paralympic Comitee.
When you donate, you are not only helping me, but also helping to inspire many other individuals with a disability. You are helping me to show that there is more to life with disability. My future and current success is an example of pushing forward, and the only way that I can continue successfully is with your help. The doctors told my parents I may never walk, and look at what I have done with effort and dedication.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and make a donation to help me succeed.