Pint Size Courage

I see people all over the world with disabilities that display so much courage. I see many who live off of the streets, suffering or leading lives of constant struggle. I prefer to write about people that get up and do something with their life. One of those people is 9 year old Christopher McKitten of the U.K. What a living example of courage in action. Christopher has Ewing’s Sarcoma, which is a rare cancer. This chap had surgery and was back to school in less than a month after having his let amputated from the thigh. This is a child that plays football on crutches! There are people who have gone through much less and won’t get up and cross the street to help themselves. I really admire children. They have such resilience and positivity.

Here is a quote from his grandpa:

“I’ve never heard him once complain about what he’s been through. He’s just unbelievable.”

Christoper was one of 3 children that won the Champion Child of Courage award recently. The judges had such a tough time trying to pick a winner, that all three children were awarded equally.

JUDGES of the Champion Child of Courage award found it such a tough task trying to decide on a winner that they took the generous step of awarding prizes to all three shortlisted youngsters. Chris Henderson, sales and marketing manager for sponsors Anson Ltd, said:

“It’s been very, very difficult for us to pick from three children that have shown such courage. They keep on smiling through all their problems and that’s a lesson to us all as we sit round these tables about why we should keep a smile on our faces.

“So it’s a little bit different tonight. I am not going to announce one winner, I am going to announce three because the decision was so difficult it just wasn’t fair to pick one alone.

To go through great adversity, smile and never complain - Wow, now that’s courage.

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Sean Swarner Climbs Mt. Everest

At 13 Sean Swarner was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer. After grueling chemo and radiation treatments, he went into remission. By the time he was 15, Sean was diagnosed with Askins Carcinoma. There was a tumor the size of a golf ball on his right lung. This kind of cancer has a 6% survival rate. Sean was the only person in the world ever diagnosed with both types of cancer.

Sean was given 14 days to live. Day 15, 16 and 17 came and he survived, but the treatments were so harsh that he was put in a medical induced coma for 1 year. The doctors were afraid the treatments would kill him before the cancer could. Again he survived and went on to do things that require great courage, like climbing Mt. Everest.  For more information visit Sean’s website.

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Randy Pauch Update - Letter from President Bush

For more videos and past updates on Randy Pausch, go to the Heroes or Courage section of this website.

June 10th, 2008: A Letter from President Bush
	While I don’t have any way of validating it authenticity, nor do I have an particular reson to do doubt it - this arrived recently (click on letter for larger, readable image.)

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Randy Pausch Update

I want to keep you informed about Randy Pausch. Randy Pausch is Courage in action, as is his amazing family. Thank you Randy for teaching us so much about life, love, family and facing life’s greatest challenges.  You are a true hero.

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Randy Pausch Goes To Congress

Randy Pausch went to Congress to use his new found unintended celebrity that he received through the lecture at Carnegie Mellon University to speak on behalf of Pancreatic cancer. Randy urged Congress to provide funding for research to eradicate this most lethal cancer.

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