In conjunction with the Ironman Foundation, Whit Hansen is participating in the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona on October 8, 2016, on behalf of the The Wetzel Foundation.
On January 10, 2015, his mother, Eadie Wetzel Davis passed away from ALS and Frontotemporal Dementia.
She was a member of the 1968 Olympic Team in Mexico City and World Record Holder in the 200m freestyle. Eadie was known by those who loved her as a dynamic woman with boundless energy, and someone who never gave up.
Like his mother Eadie, Whit is also an energetic fighter. Having struggled with alcoholism and addiction, he fought to become sober shortly before his mother passed. In her honor, he’s carrying on her Olympic spirit by putting his body and mind to the test in the Ironman World Championships in Kona this October.
The video of their family’s story can be seen here.
In 2014, the Wetzel Foundation was started by Eadie’s family, in her honor, to change the future of ALS and FTD diagnosis and care. The Wetzel Foundation is dedicated to the eradication of ALS and FTD through focused and specific research donations, as well as social promotion of the “New Normal Movement” which helps families establish end of care plans for their loved ones.
Every dollar received by the Ironman Foundation on Whit’s behalf with be directly disbursed to the Wetzel Foundation, allowing it to continue fighting against the diseases that took his mother’s life. For more information on The Wetzel Foundation and the “New Normal Movement” visit www.thewetzelfoundation.
Eadie’s family is grateful for the ongoing support they have received from the swimming community.
the Wetzel Foundation
Courtesy of The Wetzel Foundation.