Wheelchair Champion From Mass. Sets Sights On Boston Marathon

NATICK (CBS) - Anjali Forber-Pratt's sprinting ability has put her on podiums at the Paralympics and World Championships.

"The word 'CAN'T' is not in her vocabulary… She's just a dynamo," said Jeff Stone, Forber-Pratt's former physical education teacher in Natick.

WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports

Adopted from an orphanage in India, raised in Natick - Forber-Pratt lost the use of her legs at a very young age to a neurological disorder.

Anjali's determined gaze is now fixed on the Boston Marathon, which brings her full-circle.

More than two decades ago, Forber-Pratt was a five-year-old spectator on the sidelines of the Boston Marathon. What she saw opened her eyes to a whole new world.

"I knew there was going to be thousands of runners coming by, and that's when these people in racing wheelchairs came whizzing by, going 25 miles-per-hour, and I was blown away."

As a kid, she wrote about winning the Boston Marathon. At that time, Jean Driscoll was actually doing so regularly.

"That was when I first knew who she was and I started thinking about, okay I've got to get a plan together of how I'm going to meet her," said Forber-Pratt.

"When I met Anjali, I didn't realize the impact that I had had on her life," said Driscoll, who won in Boston eight times.

Forber-Pratt and Driscoll are now colleagues at the University of Illinois, where Forber-Pratt is pursuing a doctorate.

"She will be the first person to tell you that the marathon is not her forte, but I didn't think it was my forte when I first started doing marathons either," said Driscoll.

"Being from that area, and with that dream being so powerful in me, it's something that I'm so excited to come full circle and to do it," said Forber-Pratt.