“When Life give you a hundred reasons to break down and cry, show life that you have a million reasons to smile and laugh.” This quote describes Special Olympics Massachusetts athlete, Anita Griffin. She showed that even in the worst of times you can find strength in those around you.

In June of 2024 all while participating and training in Special Olympics sports, Anita had to handle the unimaginable loss of her mother to cancer.

On the day of her mother’s passing, she was able to lean on her Special Olympics family. She was invited to her teammate Liz Hackett’s family house so that she was not alone at this difficult time. While there, a bunch of other friends showed up to support and they ate pizza, giving her a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time.

Anita was able to count on her friends and coaches not only that day but in the days that followed. She began her training for bocce, and it was a relief for her that nothing had changed and the people there treated her like things were normal. That was much needed for her.

During the bocce competition she took home third place. Anita cried because it was her first competition that her mom was not there and that would be difficult for anyone in her place. But despite it being hard, she was surrounded by her dad and her Special Olympics Massachusetts family at this event. Being surrounded with all of that love and support has given Anita the strength to keep pushing forward and keep pushing herself to be a better athlete. It has also helped to keep her smiling and laughing.

If you thought the Bocce was impressive, Anita then used all that love and support to take home the honor of ‘Top Female Bowler in the State’ and she was also ranked 9th overall in the State for Special Olympics Massachusetts bowlers. Anita credits her Special Olympics program with helping her get through this tough time. “It is like a family. You get to meet so many new people and you have so much in common with them,” Anita said. “This program has become a second family I am able to lean on them to help me.”

Anita’s strength and connection to her coaches and fellow athletes is a wonderful representation to what Special Olympics is all about.

Matt Cobb is a member of the Special Olympics MA Content Squad. The mission of Special Olympics MA Athlete Leadership is to empower athletes to develop communication skills and utilize their voices to assume meaningful leadership roles. As members of the Content Squad, athlete leaders contribute to Special Olympics MA story-telling through interviews, photos, video creation, and more.