Article: Running for his life

As the saying goes, " life is never a bed of roses", especially for the boy by the name of Ryan. At the age of about five or six, symptoms of dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson's disease, started showing. It is a condition whereby the patient will experience pain attacks, an incurable callous malady. Ryan's dystonia was severe. It affected much of his body, including his left leg, back, hands and even his face. Sadly, he did not get better as he grows but worsened. He would get pain attacks ever so frequently that he had to be dropped out of school and his own permanent bed in Walsall's Manor Hospital. Moreover, the spasms he experienced cost him not only his carefree childhood but his ability to lead a normal life as well. Sometimes, his jaw would lock that he could barely speak nor could he tie his own shoes or grip a knife and forks well enough to cut his food. Nevertheless, he did not give up. The only way to free him of his misery is to eject a painkiller into his spine, though that would cause him his use of legs, he refused the treatment, refusing to be a cripple. After leading years in vain, he found his passion in running, showing not only himself the miracle but to many others as well.

Having read his story, I feel very galvanized and amazed by his determination. Despite all the obstacles he faced, he persevered on with life, even wining many awards with his passion, making his family proud and honored. Ryan inspired me not only with his determination but his belief in life as well. I agree, life is short and every one should live their life to the fullest so as to not regret in the future. Life is fragile, who knows, one day one may be healthy and jumping about while the next day, one may be down on a sick bay, never to open his eyes again. Anyhow, one should never take health for granted, in fact, nothing should be taken for granted, be it friends or family so we should learn to treasure them. At the same time, I respect Ryan for his qualities he possesses and his tenacity of no losing his legs to the cruel illness. Truthfully speaking, if i were him, i would not have been able to resist the temptation of freeing myself from the horrible disease but thankfully, i am not him. Nevertheless, Ryan is one strong boy. However, i believe that he has his times of weakness too, just like a normal human. If he can do it, everybody can do it as well. I sincerely believe in that.

In summary, life is short, treasure it and there is nothing more important than health. I also hope that one day, if the medical science is advance enough, there will be a cure for Ryan.

-lay wen-