Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a rehabilitation and prosthetics patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center, received the ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award along with co-recipient and fellow disabled athlete Jim MacLaren on July 13 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater. The award presentation was televised July 17 on ESPN.

Oprah Winfrey presented the award during the 13th annual awards program, hosted by Matthew Perry. The award is annually given to individuals whose contributions transcend sports.

Yeboah embodies the never-give-up attitude that is the hallmark of the award and its namesake. Originally from Ghana, Yeboah, born with a severely deformed right leg, has dedicated himself to changing the historically limiting stigma associated with disability in his home country.

His relationship with LLUMC began in 2002 at the East Campus Hospital-sponsored San Diego Triathlon Challenge, the largest fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. It was there where he first met Mike Davidson, a certified prosthetist at LLUMC East Campus Hospital. Davidson and other staff encouraged Yeboah to seek evaluation for prosthetics. He received complimentary care at East Campus Hospital.

Physicians amputated his deformed leg and the prosthetics department helped design and build Yeboah’s new prosthetic leg. The piece was the latest, state-of-the-art artificial leg that permitted Yeboah to bike and run using various adaptive devices, furthering him toward his goals in sports and beyond. The new leg has assisted Yeboah to continue the campaign for awareness in Ghana. He began with his 370-mile bicycle journey across Ghana, using only one leg.

Besides Yeboah’s award, two other Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus patients were nominees for an ESPY Award in the category Best Male Athlete with Disability — Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Paul Martin. Both Challenged Athlete Foundation athletes, they competed in the 2004 Paralympic Games. Garcia-Tolson set the men’s world record in swimming the 200-meter individual medley. Martin won one silver and one bronze medal in cycling.