Loretta Lyon has about 40 medals, her mother guesses.

When they spread out her collection of gold and silver and bronze - earned in events like cycling, cross country skiing and softball - they tally 36. But Wanda Lyon thinks a few have been misplaced.

"We're going to get a special case to put them in," Wanda said.

It's not the medals that matter, though, the Rathdrum mother said.

"She's been first in a lot of events, and she's been last in a lot of events," Wanda said, standing in the Rathdrum park where the mother and daughter have practiced sports together. "Her spirits are always about the same, because she's out there with friends."

Participating in Special Olympics for the past 13 years has pulled Loretta, now 25, out of intense timidity, her mother said.

It has also brought her a multitude of victories.

The most recent: Earning herself a spot to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Athens, Greece, this summer.

"Both," Loretta said with a laugh when asked if she was nervous or excited.

They got the call last August, Wanda said. They were told that Loretta, a graduate of Lakeland High School, had qualified for the world competition after earning a gold medal in a state golf competition two years ago, a qualifying year for the olympics.

Her name was then drawn from the hat full of other winners, making her one of only about 10 to be sent from Idaho to Athens.

"I was like, 'Wow, Loretta, we've got a lot of work to get done,'" Wanda remembered.

Since then, there have been ongoing golf lessons, practices, prepping for the week-long training camp in San Diego next month.

It's just as much for Wanda to take in as Loretta.

"She will have to travel alone. She will stay at the hotel on her own," Wanda said, adding that her daughter has never flown before. "As a parent, I've tried never to go to sleep until I know my kids are OK. That'll be the hardest part, to have her across the world and not know how she's doing."

But she knows Loretta can handle it.

That's what Special Olympics has taught them both.

"When we heard about her (qualifying for the World Games), her first words were, 'Mom, I can't,'" Wanda remembered. "And I said, 'Loretta, yes you can.' I've always told her she can do anything she sets her mind to."

Things have come a little bit harder for Loretta, who was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her throat, causing brain damage that hinders her motor skills and short-term memory.

As a result, her mother said, her daughter was painfully shy as a child, to the degree that when she broke her arm at John Brown Elementary she went the whole day without telling anyone.

"I thought, 'I can't let my daughter go through life like this,'" Wanda said. "I thought, 'What can I do to make herself feel safe to tell someone if she is hurt or feels uncomfortable?'"

She found the Special Olympics.

Loretta was 12 when she joined the nonprofit, which provides free training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Wanda and Loretta were hooked immediately.

"I really started noticing the athletes and how they competed," Wanda said. "Their self esteem, how high it was. How well they shared with each other and were friends, no matter their abilities."

Loretta has participated in events three seasons a year, including cross country skiing, softball, cycling, volleyball, floor hockey, snow shoeing, shot-put and golf.

"She has won awards in almost every one," Wanda said.

Wanda has learned every sport by her daughter's side, and in many cases coached the events.

The competitions benefited Loretta's cognitive and motor development, she added. They also prompted her daughter to be more social, making fast friends with her competitors who she meets to watch wrestling.

"They just have so much fun, and they wouldn't be able to do that without Special Olympics," Wanda said.

Sara Grogan, local program coordinator in Kootenai County for the Special Olympics, said Loretta has transformed in her time with the nonprofit.

"When she first started, she would only talk to her mom and her sister," Grogan said. "Now when she starts talking, there's no stopping her."

Loretta is even a Global Messenger for the Special Olympics, and speaks about the nonprofit to large organizations and corporations.

"She's gotten up in front of big crowds to speak and everything," Grogan said.

Special Olympics gives participants confidence and something to look forward to, she added.

Especially competing at the world level.

"We've had other athletes go to China and Ireland and Japan, and they get to know a new culture," she said. "Many are still friends with those people they met around the world."

Loretta's airfare, hotel and meals will be provided, which Wanda said the family could never have provided on their own.

"We've worked really hard. It's kind of like a dream come true for both of us," she said.

The Lyons hope to raise enough so Wanda, a crossing guard and caregiver, can fly to see her daughter compete.

The Post Falls Cinema is donating a portion of sales from 10 a.m. showings this Saturday, Feb. 19. A spaghetti feed and silent auction will also be held at 5 p.m. on March 19 at the Rathdrum Lions Club, with tickets costing $3.50 per person.

Whether or not Loretta leaves Athens with a medal, Wanda said, she's happy her daughter has the chance to try.

"The Special Olympics has helped us so much, and so many opportunities for her have come out of it," she said. "What a lifetime story she will have. It's just an awesome experience I don't ever imagine her getting to do without the help of the Special Olympics."