JEFFERSON GOH 23.. DOING ARTICLE " RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE" EDITED TWICE

Summary :

Ryan Farrington was a normal kid until things started to change when he was about five or six. His legs could not function as well, bringing him much pain and discomfort. Often, when a relapse strikes and Ryan would be in such a painful state that even walking on his own was difficult. Ryan would then be sent to the hospital and doctors will put him on a morphine drip, knocking him out and deaden the pain. Ryan screams for his mother’s help but to no avail. Ryan was lying on the floor struggling in a pain attack. Finally, specialists confirmed Ryan with a rare condition similar to Parkinson's disease - Dystonia.

As his condition got worse day by day, Ryan was left with one option, to numb his nerves which will cause him to be confined to a wheelchair afterwards. At a young age, Ryan was persistent about leading a normal life therefore he refused to use the wheelchair. However, the disease was relentless and sometimes Ryan would end up having to use the wheelchair.

Ryan entered the rehabilitation centre at the age of 13. He first mastered the balance board, then holding the rails of a treadmill, and is even able to jog after months of trying. A coach was impressed by his raw talent and determinations to practice. Over the years, Ryan learnt to manage his pain, to cover and hide the side effects of dystonia. Ryan's persistency saved his life. He won many competitions. He is now one of Britain’s top ten sprinters for his age group. However, after every race he would need a lot of rest. There are still times when he cannot get out of bed. He has no idea how long he can keep competing but he has never thought of giving up.



REFLECTION:

Self-Determination, having the will and resilience in succeeding were the reasons why Ryan became a successful sprinter. From this article, I can clearly see the firm determination Ryan had shown despite hindrances. .Facing a uncertain future, Ryan does not give up in life. Instead, he was still optimistic about his life. He is always fighting for his time to live despite the pain he had to endure everyday. The efforts Ryan put in had led him to overcome the obstacles ahead of him. Hence, I was amazed by Ryan's spirits .

Nowadays, when people who face situations like Ryan, some even whose condition are less major compared to Ryan's, they fail to see the meaning of life. Even adults, who give up in life because they are sick. However, Ryan is determined to carry on, he rejected the doctor's suggestion of injecting painkillers into his spine and free him from all those pain that he was experiencing. Instead he put aside the setbacks and got on with life?

He always does his best in whatever he does. For instance , Ryan gets tired easily due to his illness ,however, he was always willing to practice his sprinting no matter how jaded he was. He wanted to be treated normally so he covered up all his pain and hide the side effects of the illness.

Whereas most people would probably give in to the doctor’s suggestion and just be an ordinary patient feeding on medicine and being put on drip every now and then. If Ryan did that, perhaps he would be lying in the hospital bed right now, waiting for his time to go.
I can see how seriously Ryan takes his life. Due to his illness ,I think Ryan seems to understand how lives is so unpredictable and precious.

Moreover, I also realized the importance of our families member. This is because family members always happen to be the most important people for someone who is in times of need. Their understanding, support, sincerity and love will certainly help one overcome an ordeal.

For instance, without Samantha and Lisa encouraging Ryan, I do not think that he will be able to improve so quickly in just 2 months. His mum, Lisa, did not stop her son from his desires, giving him the support and trust in what he wants to do. It was also his mum, who was constantly there to help him during his falls. Without his mum, no one would be able to be there to save him if he fell from the stirs during a pain attack. Also, his father and uncle spent time playing rough and tunble game of football with Ryan. They constantly urge him to be better, instilling in Ryan's mind that he can be the same as every kid and also motivating him. "No one is going to give you a break , Ryan you have to try that much harder, be that much better" Without their motivation, I think Ryan might not be what he is as of today.

After reading this article, I realized that If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he wanted, he will definitely meet with a success in unexpected common hours."

In conclusion, We should learn Ryan's qualities and apply to our daily life. So if a patient can do it, why not abled people like us? Therefore, we should never give up pursuing our dream even though it seems impossible.

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Finally done....

i flunked my oral..zzz