Ludwig Guttmann was a Jewish doctor who fled Germany for England in the late 1930s. At Oxford University he continued some of his previous work in neurology, although no longer working directly with patients. Asked to set up a unit for treating soldiers with spinal injuries at a hospital outside London, his radical approach, counter to all previous accepted practices, transformed medicine for and attitudes toward individuals with paralysis. Refusing to accept warehousing patients and hopelessness as the norm, he focused on helping prepare patients to live, not die. He began physical therapy and training programs. He set up employment training and work opportunities and, inspired by patients who created their own wheelchair polo game, eventually began a sports program. The competition that grew out of this, the Stoke Mandeville Games (named for the hospital), eventually became the Paralympics. This fascinating account, which includes historic photographs and original illustrations, also addresses the anti-Semitism Guttmann faced. Detailed source information, a timeline, notes and index conclude the volume. (Ages 9-14)

Telling the inspiring human story behind the creation of the Paralympics, this young readers biography artfully combines archival photos, full-color illustrations, and a riveting narrative to honor the life of Ludwig Guttmann, whose work profoundly changed so many lives.

Dedicating his life to helping patients labeled "incurables," Ludwig Guttmann fought for the rights of paraplegics to live a full life. The young doctor believed--and eventually proved--that physical movement is key to healing, a discovery that led him to create the first Paralympic Games.

Told with moving text and lively illustrations, and featuring the life stories of athletes from the Paralympic Games Ludwig helped create, this story of the man who saved lives through sports will inspire readers of all backgrounds.