WESTERLY — Frank Abate describes himself as “the type of guy who always liked a challenge.”

He didn’t let the fact that he has cerebral palsy stop him from becoming a special education teacher.

He didn’t let it stop him from becoming a high school baseball coach.

And on Sunday, despite the physical challenges that his cerebral palsy poses for him, Abate plans to run the Philadelphia Half-Marathon.

“I guess I look at it this way: I just try to do the best I can,” he said last week after completing one of his last training runs. “I’ve had this my whole life, so I just go with it.”

A lifelong resident of Westerly, Abate, 34, has a form of the neurological disorder called spastic cerebral palsy. A lack of oxygen at birth resulted in damage to the motor areas of his brain that control his body movements and muscle coordination.

He underwent five corrective surgeries between the ages of 3 and 19 to attempt to improve his walking gait and balance. Although there has been improvement, Abate says he must pay careful attention when he runs, especially on uneven terrain, or he risks falling — which he has many times. (On one trip back from the pitcher’s mound during a baseball game a couple of years ago, for example, he fell and broke his wrist.) Each time, though, Abate gets right up and keeps on going.

“He is tough, maybe the toughest person I know,” said longtime friend and Westerly athletic director Jamey Vetelino.

Abate began contemplating running in a big event about six years ago. He had done the Blessing of the Fleet 10-Miler in Narragansett a few times, and he wanted to shoot for something even bigger — the Boston Marathon was actually his first choice. He also knew he wanted it to be about more than just one man conquering a physical challenge and decided that he would raise money for the American Cancer Society. The run took on even more meaning after Abate lost his father, Frank Abate Sr., to pancreatic cancer in 2004.

His plans kept getting derailed until last summer when he approached Vetelino, a former standout runner at Westerly, and asked him if he’d be willing to serve as his training coach.

“One thing about me is I’m not very strong at a lot of things, but I always know who to align myself with,” Abate said. “Jamey has been my best friend since third grade. I watched him compete and I loved the way he competed. So I thought he’d definitely be the best one for the job. Jamey’s great. When we’re together, he treats me just like one of the athletes he’s coaching.”

Together, they agreed that a full marathon was perhaps a bit too ambitious for Abate to tackle at this point and instead set his sights on the Philadelphia Half-Marathon. Abate has been training since July, essentially doing all of his workouts alone, and Vetelino has been impressed with his friend’s commitment.

“His walking gait is his biggest challenge,” Vetelino said. “His legs point out to the side, which makes him susceptible to tripping over things. It also puts added pressure on his knees, hips and back. He can’t lift his legs up very well so again, falling is always a concern. There is no such thing as efficiency in his form, but for whatever physical obstacles he may have, he makes up for it with determination and heart

“We have discussed an approach to the race and he has done a trial run of about 12 miles a few weeks back,” Vetelino added. “He is definitely excited about the challenge, and his goals are optimistic. He has prepared like any other athlete there. He has a goal and a race plan. If weather cooperates and he sticks to the plan he will hit his goal.”

Abate has been assisted with his fundraising efforts by Andrew Felicetti, a member of the Westerly High baseball team for which Abate has served as either a paid or volunteer assistant coach for the last 14 years.

Through flyers, a recent benefit breakfast at Applebee’s in which members of the baseball team served as waiters and some “celebrity bartending” stints by Abate at a couple of local establishments, they have already raised more than $4,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Felicetti says that at first he saw this as a convenient way to fulfill the requirements of his senior project. But it has since turned into something much bigger than that, he says.

“I started realizing how much this means to Coach Abate and to the community,” Felicetti said. “He’s been training for months now, and we get together a couple of times a week and talk about it and discuss what we’ve done. We went all around town putting up flyers, and people are giving money. It feels good to do a project that means so much to the community.”

Now all that’s left is the race.

“I really feel as if all of Westerly will be with me,” said Abate, who will have a sizeable cheering section of family members down in Philly.

“I wish I could send a thank-you note to everybody. I have been very touched by the way the Westerly community and the whole Rhode Island community have helped. People have been so generous, even at a time when money is tight. Without them, the whole project would not be successful. It has been a true team effort. So the way I’m looking at it is that I want to do this for everybody. Once the gun goes off, I’m just trying to finish. Whatever it takes to finish.”

Those who would like to contribute to Abate’s effort should send checks made payable to “American Cancer Society” to: Frank Abate, 75 Oak St., Westerly, R.I. 02891.

cthorn@projo.com