David Kiley

Re “Athlete’s Quest for Lost Gold,” Dec. 4:

I worked at Casa Colina Hospital for Rehabilitation in Pomona for almost five years. In that time, I was privileged to work with and get to know David Kiley. I watched him work with people who had recently had terrible accidents and now faced the rest of their lives in wheelchairs. I watched him play aggressive basketball games, giving it his all. I watched him work with his fellow teammates on Casa’s basketball team, the Condors.

Kiley has always given his all while dealing with his own personal concerns. He has helped make wheelchair sports a legitimate part of the sports world.

One of my proudest moments was to shake Kiley’s hand after he won his gold medal. Because it was a medal in wheelchair sports, there were no parades or front-page stories. When we would compliment him on a job well done, he would always say that it was a team effort. Kiley has always taken his involvement in wheelchair sports very seriously and would never do anything to endanger his teammates or himself.

Wheelchair athletes work as hard or even harder than other athletes. Their upper body carries most of their stress and their wheelchairs become another part of their bodies. I have seen Kiley play in extreme pain so as to not let his teammates down.

I certainly hope that the the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland will allow these athletes their well-earned gold medals.

STEVE ARMSTRONG

Glendora