You're quite an inspiration, they wrote. Go for the gold.
The letters and cards and checks kept coming, from as far away as Georgia, even Washington, D.C. And now Valerie Brannon will get to watch her son Emmanuel represent his country next month in judo at the Paralympics in Athens, Greece.
More than 80 people have sent checks and cash totaling $2,800 since news of the mother's quest spread, said Ron Peck, executive director of the U.S. Paralympics Judo Team.
"The notes and letters bring tears to your eyes because people care," Peck said. "They will probably never meet her, but they're willing to (give) $10, $50."
Brannon, 42, started screaming and hollering when she heard the news. She thought about surprising her son during his first match in Greece.
"I'll go to Athens," she told Peck. "And when he looks up in the stands, he'll see me."
But Brannon and Emmanuel have albinism and are legally blind. It would be a shame if Emmanuel, 19, couldn't spot her in the stands, Peck told her.
So Brannon called her son, who is training in California, and told him she was going to Athens. He started crying.
Emmanuel, a brown belt, is the only Florida member of the six-person U.S. Blind Judo Team. The Paralympics is an international competition of elite athletes with disabilities.
Brannon has never watched her son compete. She fell behind on her mortgage so that Emmanuel could get uniforms and spending money for his judo camps. The bank foreclosed on her house in Ridgecrest.
Still, she was determined to find a way to get to Athens.
A travel agency is working on her flight and hotel arrangements. But she still needs money for food and transportation.
Kathy Warth of the Florida Council of the Blind is arranging a fundraiser for Brannon on Aug. 26. Her husband, Jim, also wants to help Brannon get her house back.
When Brannon returns from Athens, she wants to send everyone a thank-you note, maybe a souvenir.
"I'm a lot closer now than when I started," she said. "I thank God for that. At least there's hope."
TO HELP
A fundraiser is scheduled for Aug. 26 starting at 2 p.m. at Lan Minez, 22041 US Highway 19 N, Clearwater. Call (727) 796-6882 for more information.
