Sarah Reinertsen, a member of ACA’s Board of Directors will be featured on Nightline tomorrow night, October 21, 2005, at 11:35 p.m. EDT on ABC.

This past July “Nightline” brought you the inspiring story of Sarah Reinertsen, 30, who was training to become the first amputee woman to complete the Hawaiian Ironman competition. Held last week in Kona, Hawaii, the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run is one of the toughest races in the world, one that Sarah first attempted in 2004 but failed to make the cutoff time by just 15 minutes. Said Sarah of the experience, “I have to finish what I started…I can’t walk away from this knowing I only went so far. I have unfinished business in Kona.”

An ocean away, the program will also bring you the story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, 28, a compelling young man from Ghana, who, like nearly 10% of the population in that country, was born disabled. He was born with just one leg, but that didn’t stop Emmanuel from biking across Ghana to raise awareness and money for the plight of the disabled. Outfitted with a bike from San Diego’s Challenged Athlete Foundation, his cross-country trek brought national attention to the issue. In the process, Emmanuel met Sarah, who has become a mentor and source of inspiration to him. His story is told in the soon-to-be released documentary “Emmanuel’s Gift.”

They come from very different backgrounds, but Sarah and Emmanuel—and the challenges they’ve overcome—are very much the same. Their inspiring stories will air on “Nightline” this Friday, October 21, 2005, at 11:35 p.m. (EDT) on the ABC Television Network.

Founded in 1986, the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The mission of the ACA is to reach out to people with limb loss and to empower them through education, support and advocacy. Through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the ACA maintains the National Limb Loss Information Center (NLLIC), the nation's most comprehensive source of information for people living with limb differences. For more information, visit www.amputee-coalition.org or call toll-free 888/AMP-KNOW.