HERE in Bolton, we don't need Olympians or highly-paid professionals to provide heroic role models. We've got people like Rob Hodgkiss.
The 34-year-old Egerton dad had to have a heart transplant four years ago. He'd been a talented and successful athlete with a glittering future ahead when viral cardiomyopathy struck, destroying his heart muscles.
Rob was fortunate enough to have an eleventh-hour transplant, and he's never looked back since. The determination and dedication which helped him to athletic and swimming prowess as a teenager surfaced once more, and he's won gold medals at transplant games all over the world.
Now, Rob is coaching teenagers at the Leverhulme Park track, specialising in the hurdles, and is a source of inspiration to all.
He admits that some days he still feels "lousy" and he has had to adapt his training to allow for his new heart.
But, plainly, here is a hero for our times -- an ordinary man who refused to let illness swamp his life and his spirit. And who has used his God-given talents to wonderful effect, also helping youngsters to follow in his dedicated footsteps.
Certainly an example worth remembering when the petty daily niggles grind us down.
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