Haitian Athlete Inspires North Texans - January 15, 2012
A documentary story about Haitian artist and amputee soccer player Francillon Chery aired Saturday, January 15, on KXAS NBC Channel 5 in Dallas, Texas.
The story includes video of Francillon painting, playing amputee soccer and wheelchair racing.
The video was produced by Kevin Stewart, a photojournalist for NBC and the owner of Good Creations Production.
Click here to watch the video on NBCDFW.com.
Blog Created to Help Promote IIOS Fundraising
The International Institute of SPORT raises funds through the sale of art by disabled artists and through the sale of Chaotica, a series of mathematical renderings on aluminum by photographer Don Bristow.
All of the returns from the sale of art by the disabled artists we represent is used to reimburse IIOS for funds and art supplies already paid to those artists.
However, the sales of Chaotica provides funds that actually help to pay our expenses to advocate for people with disabilities.
The blog CHAOTICA was created to help promote the artwork and our cause for people with disabilities.
Please help us identify buyers and markets for Chaotica. Call Dr. Fred Sorrells at 214-674-6196 or Don Bristow at 903-894-8224 to share your ideas with us.
IIOS Participates in Multi-Cultural Arts Fest 2011 in Tyler, Texas
October 1, 2011
The International Institute of SPORT showed paintings by Haitian amputee soccer player Francillon Chery and other Haitian artists at the Multi-Cultural Arts Fest in Tyler, Texas, on October 1, 2011.
During the program, Dr. Fred Sorrells was invited to speak by Debbie Kirkland-Waffer, Founder & Executive Director of the Arts & Humanities Council of East Texas. Dr. Sorrells let the audience know about the desperate needs of people with disabilities and invited them to view the art on display.
Quintin Stephens Wins 5 Gold Medals at 2011 National Veterans Wheelchair Games - August 1-6, 2011
During the first week of August, 2011, IIOS Track & Field Consultant Quintin Stephens competed in the 2011 National Veterans Wheelchair Games and finished first in 5 events (100 meters, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m) winning a record five gold medals.
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is the largest annual wheelchair sports competition in the world. The event offers 17 different sports to veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, amputations and neurological diseases.
Although he is a quadriplegic with no control Quintin Stephensis an outstanding athlete. His primary event is wheelchair racing, and he is one of the best in the world for his disability class.
The photo at right is of Quintin Stephens at the finish line.
Dr. Fred Sorrells served as Quintin's caregiver and coach, as he did for Quintin at the last three National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Dr. Sorrells said that he has never seen someone who consistently overcomes physical and emotional challenges like Quintin. Through weekly training, Quintin lost a significant amount of weight and gained a tremendous strength in his upper body. Many quadriplegics Quintin's age use a power chair, but Quintin uses the manual wheelchair exclusively, even pushing it several miles from his home to the local Walmart.
All the hard work paid off when Quintin was crowned with five gold medals. He made his Lone Star Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans proud.
However, Quintin is not satisfied with this achievement. His real goal us to gain a spot on the USA Paralympic Team and to compete in the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Bestowing this achievement at Quinten's medal ceremony, pictured at right, included Retired Bgd. General Gauld, former Pittsburgh Steeler greats Robin Cole and Rocky Blyer, and Ron Drach, president of the Wounded Warriors.
Quintin Stephens Trains Soccer Athlete Francillon Chery for Track Events - 2011
Quintin Stephens, IIOS Track & Field Consultant, is a great humanitarian and mentor to people with disabilities.
Earlier this year Quintin took Haitian amputee Francillon Chery under his wing following his leg amputation provided by Baylor Medical Center.
Quintin trained Francillon for amputee track events, and Francillon, already an amputee soccer athlete and member of the Haitian Amputee Soccer Team, learned quickly.
The photo at left is of Quintin and Francillon on professional racing wheelchairs.
Francillon Chery Exhibits His Art at Omni Hotel
August 5-6, 2011
During art therapy following his leg amputation, Francillon Chery created numerous paintings.
In an effort to help Francillon sell his paintings, Quintin Stephens obtained permission to display Francillon's work at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA.
In the photo, Francillon Chery (left) discusses his art with Quintin Stephens in the Omni Hotel lobby.
The International Institute of SPORT is planning to establish a therapeutic recreation center in Haiti with Francillon heading up the art therapy component.
Proceeds from the sales of Francillon's artwork go to support Francillon and ultimately the art therapy program.
National Art Honor Society Participates in Global Crutch Project
January 20, 2011
Rachel Bornstein, President of the National Art Honor Society at Milken Community High School, learned about the Global Crutch Project from an article provided by her teacher, Ms. Kulwin.
Rachel contacted Theresa Mosely, former Director of Therapeutic Art Initiatives for IIOS, and learned more about how to implement the project.
Click here for the article about the project written by Rachel Bornstein.
International Institute of SPORT Recap of 2010
January 12, 2011
The mission of the International Institute of SPORT (IIOS) is to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in the less economically developed countries worldwide. Our primary means of accomplishing our mission is through therapeutic recreation activities.
Dr. Fred Sorrells, president and founder of the International Institute of SPORT, first visited Haiti in 2004 in an effort to encourage people with disabilities through therapeutic recreation. Those visits continued over the years and including six following the January 12 2010 earthquake.
As part of our initial disaster relief response, IIOS helped disabled earthquake victims to receive medical attention, mobility devices, security lighting, and clean water. The water filters eventually offered protection from the deadly cholera outreach that affected thousands later in 2010.
During visits to hospitals following the earthquake, Dr. Sorrells noted that large number of earthquake victims required amputations. Using a therapeutic recreation approach, IIOS introduced the adaptive sport of amputee soccer to help earthquake amputees overcome tramatic injury.
Dr. Sorrells felt that just seeing amputees playing soccer would be an encouragement to the entire population. In other words, if the amputee victims are playing soccer, maybe there is a real chance people will have a place to live and the country is returning to normalcy. To test his theory that amputee soccer would enable many recent amputees overcome their disabilities and re-integrate back into society. When Dr. Sorrells took a soccer ball to one of the amputee rehab centers, the results were very encouraging.
Amputee Soccer with its inclusion of both arm and leg amputees is the perfect adaptive sport for therapeutic recreation. In fact, Amputee Soccer is considered by many to be the world’s greatest one-legged game.
In an amazing series of events, the Haiti Amputee Football Association was established in July 2010 and a national team was selected for the 2010 World Cup of Amputee Football.
Amputee football enable many recent amputees overcome their disabilities and re-integrate back into society. Our longterm goal is to establish a therapeutic recreation center here in Haiti that offers physical therapy, leisure, recreation, sports for the disabled and job training. It would include an athletics track.
Message to Haiti on Anniversary of Earthquake
January 12, 2011
The International Institute of SPORT would like to express sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the catastrophic earthquake that occurred in Haiti one year ago this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you just as they were when we first received word of the horrific earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. At the same time we celebrate the triumph of the human spirit that continues to inspire the world as you rebuild your great country.
Dallas medical professionals help Haitian amputee walk for first time in nearly 30 years with new prosthetic leg
January 10, 2011
Post-earthquake soccer program and local generosity turn tragedy into triumph
Dallas, Texas
One year after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000+ and displacing 1.2 million Haitians, stories of new hope and inspiration are surfacing through Haiti and the United States. One such story is happening right here in Dallas.
Tomorrow afternoon, 39-year-old Haitian Francillion Chery will walk for the first time in nearly 30 years, thanks to the generosity and expertise of a team of Dallas medical professionals at Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics and Baylor Health Care System. Chery came to Dallas last fall with the national amputee soccer team that was started as a way of helping Haitians rebuild their lives after the devastating January 12th earthquake.
Media are invited to meet with Chery, his prosthetist John Macgregor of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, and (a) professionals from Baylor at Chery’s final prosthetic appointment: Tuesday, January 11th, 2010, 1:30pm – 3:30pm Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, 3910 Gaston Avenue, Suite 150, Dallas, Texas 75246.
At just 10-years-old, Chery contracted an infection that permanently stunted the growth of his left leg, consequently forcing him to live as a grown man with the size leg of a 10-year-old and preventing him from ever walking again. Despite his lack of mobility, Chery survived the January 12 earthquake, but lost family members, friends, and his home in the tragedy. What he didn’t know at the time was that his life would soon take a very positive turn.
Soon after the earthquake, Dr. Fred Sorrells, the president and founder of the International Institute of SPORT helped create The National Haitian Amputee Soccer Team to serve as a therapeutic recreation opportunity to help Haitians rebuild their lives. Since amputee soccer is played without prosthetic devices, Chery made the team, despite his malformed leg. The soccer team, which includes three amputees who were injured in the January 12th earthquake, traveled to Dallas to train at the FC Dallas Pizza Hut Park in Frisco for the 2010 World Cup of Amputee Soccer held in Argentina. While back in Dallas following the World Cup, physician volunteers arranged through Baylor’s Institute for Rehabilitation in Frisco performed physicals on the team members. When working with Chery, they noticed his leg and told him if the non-functional leg was amputated, he would be able to walk with the use of a prosthesis. Thus began the circle of clinical donations here in Dallas.
Baylor trauma orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Freudigman agreed to perform the above-knee amputation with Baylor physical medicine physician Dr. Amy Wilson providing the follow-up care, and the Dallas-based Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics office agreed to volunteer their clinical expertise to build a prosthetic leg for Chery. Tomorrow, Chery will receive his definitive prosthetic leg and will be able to walk again for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas will provide the gait training and rehabilitation to help Chery obtain maximum benefit of his new prosthesis.
As a token of his appreciation, Chery will present a piece of custom artwork he has created especially for the Hanger family.