Wheelchair athlete says life is what you make it

MOSES LAKE — When the Putumayo label released “Mali to Memphis” some 17 years ago, Moses Lake High School foreign exchange student Abraham Massalay was a mere 2 years old.

“Mali to Memphis” was a showcase of musical similarities from the heart of an ancient West African Kingdom to the Delta of the Mississippi, blending such African singer/songwriters as Amadou Bagayoko & Mariam Doumbia, Boubacar Tarore and Habib Koite with Delta blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Guy Davis.

Maybe the song from that collaboration that best typifies Massalay’s journey from the Republic of Liberia on the West African coast to Moses Lake is Eric Bibb’s contribution, “Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down.”

Massalay contracted malaria at the age of 5. An incorrect treatment process affected the muscle structure in his legs and left him paralyzed from the waist down. His family had neither the means nor the money to provide him with a wheelchair until he was 15 years old. So his movement was contingent on the help of others or quite literally crawling on the ground.

So from humble beginnings to a vast new world here in the Columbia Basin, Massalay brings a smile and a laugh to this game called life. His calmness of spirit and belief structure carries him to great heights. Worrying about things he can’t control is just a waste of time, he says.

“I know God has something planned for me,” he said, sitting on the track working on his sports chair that allows him to compete for the Chiefs track and field team. “People always ask me, ‘Why are you always so happy … never sad? I’m a person that has passed through a lot of stuff and I thank God for the opportunities I do have. I believe in myself and I trust God.”

Not a bad way to live, really.

He’s been in the United States for eight months and has been taking it all in ever since. A new town, a new school, the opportunity to travel and see the world through a new perspective, it’s all there. Coming from a place where your next meal is not guaranteed, where houses don’t include running water or electricity, he finds life intriguing in a land where Columbia Basin farmers go about the business of feeding the world.

“People complain about the strangest things. I’m thinking, you have a car. You live in a nice house. You eat food every day,” said Massalay, who hopes to study engineering one day. “You have everything. Where I come from, sometimes we don’t eat for almost two days. I just really enjoy it here because of all the opportunities.”

He’s settled into Americana to be sure. He likes Country and Western music, a little Reggae maybe. He never really watched much television, so he doesn’t see a need to waste time watching Judge Judy or NCIS. Now, movies on the other hand, that’s a different story. He’s definitely a “Star Wars” guy.

“I was really surprised with the movie theaters, because it was so different than where I came from,” he said. “I think Star Wars is my favorite movie. It’s so cool the way they made it and the story is good. I like that a lot. I’m not into TV too much, because we don’t have a lot. But I really like going to the theater to see movies.”

Where he’s really found his place is on the track. He came up with a sports chair from Parasports in Spokane and learned how to compete. It’s one thing to push down the hall at school; it’s quite another to race. But competing lifts his spirit and sets his soul free.

“That’s the main thing I like about being here is the sports. In my country, athletics are for able-bodied people,” said Massalay, who intends to get in contact with the African Paralympic committee when he returns. “Whether you’re a disabled person or not, I have the opportunity. Until I got here, I’ve never been involved.”

He competes in the 100-meter dash, the 400 meters, the 800. The other day, he had the fastest 800-meter time of the day at the Moses Lake home meet with a time of 2 minutes, 3 seconds.

“It takes me a bit to get going with this chair, but once I get up to speed I’m pretty fast,” he said. “My best time in the 100 is 15.3. I like the 800 a lot because once I figured how to work the curves, I’m really strong. All I can do is my best. That’s is all I ever want, the chance to do my best.”

As he sat there on the Moses Lake track, a place where life changed for a guy who comes from a country where running water and electricity are considered a luxury, he thought for a moment about what memories he will remember forever.

“All of them,” he said, that infectious smile radiating like the sun. “I will never forget the people I’ve met here. I will forever remember them in my life. I will never forget the opportunities I had with sports, going to beautiful places. I will never forget Moses Lake.”

Yep, Bibb captured the true nature of Abraham Massalay in that classic song:

“You might slip, you might slide, you might stumble and fall by the road side.

“But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down. Remember you're walking up to heaven. Don't let nobody turn you around.”

— Eric Bibb