Whitehall grad Noga Nir-Kistler to have her bronze-medal effort shown on national TV

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER have known Fred and Noga Nir-Kistler for several years now and could not have been happier to learn on Wednesday that Noga won the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke while swimming for Team USA in the Paralympic Games in London. Yes, a gold or silver would have been even better, but just for her to get a medal is a remarkable story, a dream come true for her. Noga, a Whitehall High grad and Salisbury Township resident, will have bronze-medal effort shown on TV tonight at 7 p.m. on the NBC Sports Network coverage of the Paralympics, which is being held in the same venues as the Summer Olympics a few weeks ago. Noga, 33, has spent the last 13 years batting RSD, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a debilitating nerve disease. But while wheelchair-bound, she has never let that stop her from achieving her dreams. She became one of the best table-tennis players in the world and competed in that sport at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, China and then decided to return to her first love, swimming. Through tremendous determination and lots and lots of practice, she made the U.S. squad and now she was on the medal stand in London. Amazing. Fred's amazing, too, for all of the tremendous support and love he has given his wife through a lot of difficult times. Great story.