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Philly powerlifter, 69, overcame blindness, homelessness, addiction, cancer, and the death of his daughter to become a champion
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted: January 27th, 2020
https://www.inquirer.com/news/blind-powerlifting-champion-li...
When Charles King went blind at 39, he gave up on life, on his pregnant girlfriend, and on himself. I said OK God, thats it. I quit. I literally quit and just went out on the streets and joined the homeless, he said. I hoped that because I was blind, someone on the streets would kill me. But going blind and becoming homeless wasnt the toughest battle King would have to face. In 2000, after he got clean and was reunited with his family, Kings 14-year-old daughter died. Five years after that, he was diagnosed with cancer. And yet, somehow hes lifted himself up both mentally and physically. Today, the 69-year-old Philadelphian is one of the oldest blind powerlifters in the world, having finished first in his weight and age class last month at the United States Association of Blind Athletes National Powerlifting Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a 248-pound squat, a 236-pound bench press, and a 341-pound dead lift. Now, King is inspiring other blind senior citizens. These days, when King feels the depression kicking in, he goes to the gym. Recently ... a student approached and asked if he could join him. After their workout was over, the young man confessed that hed seen King around campus before but for some reason, was moved to approach him that day. He says, Mr. Charles, I thank God for meeting you today because I was ready to give up on my classes and goals because its too hard, but after watching you, Im regenerated, King recalled. I said, Son, God blessed both of us today.
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