OH! Magazine - Australian Version October 2017 | Página 6

( OH Wow! )
MATT LEVY IS WALKING
FOR PREMS
Be inspired by Paralympion and ambassador for the
Walk for Prems 2017 event, Matt Levy, OAM.
nspiration comes in so many
shapes and forms, and this month
we’re in complete awe of a 28-year-old
athlete who answers to the name of
Matthew ‘Matt’ John Levy.
I
Twenty-eight years ago, Penny and Michael
Levy welcomed their beautiful baby boy.
Matt was born with cerebral palsy and is
also vision-impaired, which was a result of
being born at 25 weeks (15 weeks
premature) and suffering two strokes at
birth. To-date, Matt has endured more
than 50 operations on his heart, lungs,
brain and ear, but thanks to the unwavering
support of his parents and teams of
medical professionals, he’s triumphed
over his challenges to emerge even
stronger and more motivated to achieve
lots more greatness in his life!
Matt first began swimming at the age of
10, when his parents encouraged him to
start as a way to improve his health and
coordination. ‘Due to the bleed on my
brain in my early years, I was very delayed
with all my gross and fine motor skills; so
learning to swim was more challenging for
me than most – to say the least,’ explains
Matt.
At age 16, Matt’s consistent hard work and
steadfast determination paid off, when he
qualified for the Australian team, for the
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OH! MAGAZINE ( OCTOBER 2017 )
first of what would become many times!
To-date, Matt has competed in the Athens
2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and
Rio 2016 Paralympics. This four-time
Paralympian has also performed in three
World Championships, which has seen
him bring home seven gold, two silver, two
bronze, and four world records over his 12-
year swimming career.
Not surprisingly, in 2014 Matt received
the Order of Australia medal in recognition
of his outstanding achievements in
swimming; and in 2015 he was named
Athlete of the Year with a Disability at the
New South Wales Sport Awards.
Since 2012 Matt has also been the
ambassador for Life’s Little Treasures
Foundation and the Walk for Prems event,
which is held annually across Australia to
raise awareness and support for the
48,000 premature or sick babies born in
the country every year.
In 2017, Walk for Prems is being held on
Sunday 29 October, and it’s the largest
annual fundraiser by Life’s Little Treasures
Foundation, which is Australia’s foremost
charity dedicated to supporting the
families of babies born sick or prior to 37
weeks gestation. This year marks the
charity’s eighth year, and will see Walk for
Prems events take place simultaneously in
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Ade