The real value of a Paralympic medal

“Do you ever worry that so many people touching your medal will damage it?”

No.

It’s true that the purple ribbon is creased, the medal is probably full of germs, and I’m sure the oils from people’s hands are eating away at the finish.

But I love seeing the joy it brings people!

Plus, it helps that this is my husband Brent’s medal. Mine is safely tucked away at home

🤣🤣🤣…just kidding! That is only 50% true.

We both won silver medals in London 2012. And honestly, it was hard in the beginning not to be a bit precious about it.

The population I most wanted to share it with – school kids -often had runny noses and sticky hands and I had to resist the urge to wipe them down with sanitizer before touching it.

So, Brent and I decided to designate one of the medals as the touring medal.

As time went on, I became less and less attached to it. It really was just a medal. The most valuable thing about it is what I learned in the process and the person I became.

No matter what happens to the medal, that version of me stays.