He hates putting Johnny through all of it. He works through all the scenarios that must go right today for him to reach Dallas he's braced himself for a little pain and a lot of uncertainty. But I don't have to rely on anyone to play." "I'm locked away and have to rely on so many people. "The freedom you have versus the freedom I have is incomparable," he says. He is a grand master in Street Fighter, a Chun-Li player to be feared, and if he could travel more easily, he'd probably turn pro. He's been playing video games since he was 2, when he first made Donkey Kong jump using his cheek. This morning his younger brother, Johnny, a tall 28-year-old with flowing black hair and a penchant for tank tops, brought him coffee, carried him to the bathroom, scrubbed him clean, got him dressed, made him breakfast, fed it to him and lifted him onto the wheelchair.īut competing in this tournament, taking on the best Street Fighter players in the world, winning - Brolylegs can do all that on his own. His dad built him the first version of this chair two decades ago, and it gave him a freedom he'd never experienced. Back tap on the headset means forward, right tap means right, and so on. He lies flat on his stomach, propping himself up by his elbows, and drives the chair with his head. His wheelchair isn't really a wheelchair. "Basically, my brain didn't tell my muscles to grow," he explains, so he can't sit or use his arms and legs, which curl toward his body. The operator didn't make any promises.īrolylegs, 31, was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that restricts joint movement and inhibits muscle growth, as well as scoliosis, an irregular curving of the spine. Why isn't the bus here yet? He'd called once last night to schedule it and then again after he awoke this morning to tell them he was ready, in case they felt like coming early. He hates waiting but knows this is just the first wait of many today, on his way to Dallas for a gaming tournament. Each time he reaches the road, he deftly executes a perfect three-point turn so he can survey both sides of the street. on a Thursday in May, the air already thick and sticky, Mike "Brolylegs" Begum whirs up and down the sloping driveway of his family's house in Brownsville, Texas, in his custom electric wheelchair. Meet Mike 'Brolylegs' Begum: A most extraordinary Street Fighter competitorĪt 8:30 a.m.
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