Billy is a U. S. Paralympian in cycling. His first game was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He was a young athlete when at the age of 15, he was diagnosed with arterial venous malformation (AVM) near his brainstem. Billy’s only option was a revolutionary, but risky procedure called gamma knife surgery. The surgery was successful but resulted in him being placed on aggressive steroidal medication, which caused him to gain around 70 pounds of weight in just a month, dramatically altering his appearance. Furthermore, he experienced a slow and regressive stroke after the surgery, which left him fully paralyzed on his left side.

Throughout this challenging journey, Billy had to grapple with not only the physical and medical aspects but also the emotional and mental toll it took on him. Growing up in a small, tight-knit community on Long Island he felt included and supported. However, internally, he struggled with self-hatred and tried to hide his disability throughout his 20s. 

Billy's turning point came when he attended a No Barriers Summit. There he was introduced to various activities he thought he could never do again that gradually led him to open up emotionally and embrace life with a more positive outlook. The pivotal moment came when he found cycling. Later he got invited to participate in a Paralympic Race in San Diego, which put him on the radar and got offered a place in the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to prepare for the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Now he is training for the upcoming games in Paris 2024. Billy's journey is a powerful testament to moving from self-hatred and denial to a place of self-acceptance and embracing life's possibilities. 

00:00 - Intro

01:24 - Opening

03:33 - Billy's Adolescent Years

10:55 - The Stroke

15:14 - Aggressive Steroids & Change in the Physical Appearance

20:18 - The Social Aspect After the Changes 

23:17 - The Emotional Impact 

30:05 - An Advice to Other People

33:48 - The Inner Shift 

37:23 - Joining No Barriers 

40:32 - Adaptive Sports & Finding Cycling

49:45 - Joining the First Paralympic Cycling Race

53:48 - Finding One's Purpose

1:01:08 - Becoming Paralympic

1:06:59 - Training for Paris 2024

1:13:17 - The Barrier to Be Broken

1:16:26 - How to Connect with Billy

Next steps:

• Connect with Billy on LinkedIn
• Share your takeaways from this episode @OpportunityMade or 
   #OpportunityMade on LinkedIn
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Social Links:

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Challenged Athletes Foundation