STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Staten Island man will get to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to the Olympics, thanks to a GoFundMe fundraiser.
The fundraiser for 51-year-old Eric Tellefsen of West Brighton hit $2,000 of his $5,000 goal as of Sunday thanks to nearly 60 donations, as of this writing. Many of the contributions have been in the $5 to $25 range, according to GoFundMe. According to Tellefsen’s sister, Michelle Troianiello, the “Fulfill Eric’s Dream to Attend the Summer Olympics” charity effort will help her brother in the fulfilling his lifelong dream of attending the Olympics.
“Eric just has always had a fascination with athletic sports — with gymnastics being his favorite,” said Troianiello. “He has always watched the Olympics from afar, just always wishing that he could go there.” In July, Tellefsen will get to see America’s best athletes compete for gold in Paris, France.
This year’s Summer Olympics begin on Friday, July 26 and conclude Sunday, Aug. 11. Tellefsen has been giddy with anticipation in the days leading up to his big trip.
This will be his first time flying internationally, although Tellefsen has been quite the adventurer having gone to Broadway plays, Tellefsen was born with severe Cerebral Palsy due to a loss of oxygen at birth, Troianiello explained. Although Tellefsen is non-verbal and does not walk, he gets around with no issue by using his power chair and speaks using his Dynavox electronic language board. Eric Tellefsen i.
