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#Post#: 97--------------------------------------------------
The power of determination (true story)
DIR By: Admin
Date: June 13, 2013, 12:32 am
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A true story about athlete Glenn Cunningham who was horribly
burned in a schoolhouse fire at the age of 8. Doctors predicted
he would never walk again. Determined to walk, Glenn would throw
himself off his wheelchair and pull his body across the yard and
along a fence. Twenty-two months later, he took his first steps
and through sheer determination, learned to run despite the
pain…
The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned,
pot-bellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to
school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before
his teacher and his classmates arrived.
One morning they arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in
flames. They dragged the unconscious little boy out of the
flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over
the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county
hospital.
From his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy
faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told
his mother that her son would surely die – which was for the
best, really – for the terrible fire had devastated the lower
half of his body.
But the brave boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that
he would survive. Somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he
did survive. When the mortal danger was past, he again heard the
doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that
since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of
his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was
doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower
limbs.
Once more the brave boy made up his mind. He would not be a
cripple. He would walk. But unfortunately from the waist down,
he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, all
but lifeless.
Ultimately he was released from the hospital. Every day his
mother would massage his little legs, but there was no feeling,
no control, nothing. Yet his determination that he would walk
was as strong as ever.
When he wasn’t in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One
sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some
fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself
from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass, dragging his
legs behind him.
He worked his way to the white picket fence bordering their lot.
With great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. Then,
stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence,
resolved that he would walk. He started to do this every day
until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the
fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in
those legs.
Ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and
his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand
up, then to walk haltingly, then to walk by himself – and then –
to run.
He began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run for
the sheer joy of running. Later in college he made the track
team.
Still later in Madison Square Garden this young man who was not
expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could
never hope to run – this determined young man, Dr. Glenn
Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile**!
[right]Story Told By Burt Dubin,
Developer of Speaking Success System.[/right]
**On June 16, 1934, Glenn Cunningham ran the mile in 4:06.8
minutes, breaking the world’s record. His effort portrays that
whatever you want to create in your life is yours for the
making. As long as you desire it enough and allow your will to
guide you, you can have and be whatever your heart desires. The
only one that can put limits on our personal will is ourselves.
Develop and encourage your will to create and all the forces of
nature within and without will help you bring your desire to
pass.
Life Summary:
8 years old, was horribly burned in a schoolhouse fire.
Doctors predicted he would never walk again.
22 months later, took his first steps and through sheer
determination, learned to run despite the pain.
In high school, set records for the mile and later attended
Kansas University.
While at Kansas, refused all scholarship money, preferring
to pay his own way.
By sophomore year, ran the 1,500 meter race at the 1932
Olympics, but finished fourth due to a severe cold.
By senior year, set a world record for the mile of 4:06.8
and held seven of the top 13 fastest recorded times for the
mile.
In 1936, voted “Most Popular Athlete” by his fellow
athletes.
He went on to earn a master’s degree from University of Iowa
and later a doctorate from New York University.
While in New York, won 21 of 31 races at Madison Square
Gardens and set an indoor mile record there in 1938. His
fastest mile time was 4:04.4 at a Dartmouth track meet in 1938.
When the 1940 Olympics were cancelled, he retired from his
running career and taught at Cornell College in Iowa.
During World War II, he served two years in the Navy.
Spent the remainder of his life running the Glenn Cunningham
Youth Ranch for troubled kids in Kansas, USA. It is estimated
that he and his wife raised around 9,000 kids on their ranch in
the years until his death in 1988.
Glenn Cunningham Images:
[center]
HTML http://academictips.org/blogs/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/glenn-cunningham.jpeg[/center]
[center]
HTML http://academictips.org/blogs/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/glenn-cunningham-and-wife.jpeg[/center]
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