Glenn Cunningham: The Boy Who Never Gave Up

A long time ago, in a small village school, classrooms were heated with a coal stove. One young boy was in charge of coming early every day to start the fire before the others arrived.

One morning, when the students and teachers came to school, they found the building in flames. Inside, they discovered the boy—unconscious and badly burned. They rushed him to the hospital.

The doctors told his mother that the boy's lower body was badly burned and he might not survive. But the boy was brave. He refused to give up. To the surprise of the doctors, he survived.

Later, the doctors told his mother that even though he lived, he would never walk again. His legs were too damaged.

But the boy didn’t accept that. He was determined. Even though he couldn’t move his legs and had no feeling in them, he kept believing that one day, he would walk again.

His mother helped him every day by massaging his legs. At first, there was no change. But the boy didn’t stop trying.

One sunny day, his mother took him outside in his wheelchair. Instead of just sitting, he threw himself out of the chair and started pulling himself across the grass. He dragged his legs behind him. He did this every day, using the fence in his yard to help him move.

Slowly, he began to feel something in his legs. Then, he could stand. Then, take small steps. Eventually, he learned to walk—and even to run!

He didn’t stop there. He joined the track team at school and later in college. His hard work paid off.

On June 16, 1934, at Madison Square Garden, the same boy who was once told he might never walk again **ran the fastest mile in the world—**in just 4 minutes and 6.8 seconds!

His name was Dr. Glenn Cunningham.

Moral of the Story:

If you truly believe in your dreams and never give up, anything is possible.
The only real limits are the ones we place on ourselves.
Believe in yourself, work hard, and life will open the doors you once thought were closed.