What Challenges Have You Overcome?
MARCH 5, 2014 5:06 AM March 5, 2014 5:06 am
Kayla Montgomery (4) has become a top runner for Mount Tabor High School despite having multiple sclerosis. Related ArticleCredit Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times
The Times is full of articles every week about people who have overcome challenges of all kinds and have learned from failure.
What challenges have you overcome? Maybe they haven’t been as outwardly dramatic as that of this teenager, who runs track even though her multiple sclerosis causes her to collapse after every race, but perhaps they have felt dramatic and difficult to you.
In “For Runner With M.S., No Pain While Racing, No Feeling at the Finish,” Lindsay Crouse writes:
• When a pack of whip-thin girls zipped across the finish of the 1,600-meter race at a recent track meet here, the smallest runner’s legs wobbled like rubber, and she flopped into her waiting coach’s arms. She collapses every time she races.
Kayla Montgomery, 18, was found to have multiple sclerosis three years ago. Defying most logic, she has gone on to become one of the fastest young distance runners in the country — one who cannot stay on her feet after crossing the finish line.
Because M.S. blocks nerve signals from Montgomery’s legs to her brain, particularly as her body temperature increases, she can move at steady speeds that cause other runners pain she cannot sense, creating the peculiar circumstance in which the symptoms of a disease might confer an athletic advantage.
But intense exercise can also trigger weakness and instability; as Montgomery goes numb in races, she can continue moving forward as if on autopilot, but any disruption, like stopping, makes her lose control.
“When I finish, it feels like there’s nothing underneath me,” Montgomery said. “I start out feeling normal and then my legs gradually go numb. I’ve trained myself to think about other things while I race, to get through. But when I break the motion, I can’t control them and I fall.”
At the finish of every race, she staggers and crumples. Before momentum sends her flying to the ground, her coach braces to catch her, carrying her aside as her competitors finish and her parents swoop in to ice her legs. Minutes later, sensation returns and she rises, ready for another chance at forestalling a disease that one day may force her to trade the track for a wheelchair. M.S. has no cure.
Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …
— What do you think about Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run, even if she collapses after every race?
— Whom else do you admire who has confronted a challenge and overcome it?
— When have you ever faced a challenge of some kind Consider not just physical challenges, but emotional, academic, interpersonal or artistic challenges as well. What did you do? What happened in the end?
— If you’ll be applying to college sometime soon, you may be interested to know that one Common Application prompt reads, “Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?” You might consider answering those questions here, too, perhaps as practice for your college essay.
I believe that Kayla's Montgomery's determination to run is outstanding because she get's up and tries even harder the next. You ever heard of the saying if you fall 8 times get up two? 2 out of the 8 time you succeed and the rest is just inspirational to keep moving forward.I admire my grandfather, because he always tries his hardest to achieves what he wants to reach. It always takes time but at the end you always have the right path to end on with the right mind set you can always accomplish what you want. A challenge that was a life changing expirience was this year. I had to decide wether i wanted the better future for myself or if i wanted the wrong group of friends and the popularity. I chose the right path and through out the path of achieving the right mindset i lost friends. It then when i struggled and tried to figure out who i was becoming. i believe i changed for the better.Over all at the end i and still to this day i earned better grades for achieving the and going down the right path. Not mattering what other people thing because the change is always for the better.
ReplyDeleteMelissa good job! I like your positive comment in which you say that no matter what others say you will change for the better and that says a lot about your personality. And I really do not think you have to change much because you're a great person.
DeleteIn my opinion, I think Kayla Montgomery should definitely be a role model for all. I never known somebody with so many determination like her that she has. To be honest , well in other words I would have gave up running , knowing me. She is such an inspiration to me and should be for a lot of others too. Last year i came across this article where this girl was a cheerleader and her bones was really weak but she still managed to do what she has to do. She never missed practice or any game. I have bad back pains all the time , so that interfered with me playing soccer. So eventually i would miss practices here and there . However we had a halloween tournament and my back was really hurting me , the pain was unbelievable . So i still managed to play and we actually won. However , that is nowhere near from what those girls have done especially with those injuries and illnesses they have had. There are many many role models that i have not heard about yet , and it is crazy how much determination they have. I would be worried that things for me would get worse but they keep on trying , and no matter what age they are i still look up to them and can learn so much from then. And so can many other students , adults , teens , elders etc. These are the role models we should have not celebrities famous for who knows what and for actually getting famous for horrible things with no effort what so ever. In conclusion , many more teens , adults , children , elders etc should be recognized for stuff that they do with all these negatives that they have or have had in the past. Half of this world would not be able to do the stuff that they do because either we are afraid or we are just lazy. Like me I would be more afraid though than lazy because i would not want to get more hurt so i would just give up on everything and just have to deal with it .
ReplyDeleteGreat opinion about determination and good job on describing
Deletevarious reasons on the blog itself connecting both inner feelings and other peoples too.
I think it is amazing and worth a lot considering the fact that she had a disease in her way to the sport she wanted she went pass it as much as the finish lines. Thomas edison he had no physical or mental problems inventing the lightbulb but his work on inventing it took forever as he tries to invent it he fails again and again over 100 times tried and yet he had determination to try more and harder until he finally succeeds even some say his work was also disturbed by some people who made fun of him and didn’t believe him by blowing away the particles used in testing the light bulb, when his dream was fulfilled he finally spreaded and interviewed his creation which led to popularity and even the people who disturbed his work brought from him his invention surprisingly
ReplyDeleteThomas in the end overcame the challenges he faced. It did face some challenges but unfortunately the weren’t something extremely emotional,academically and interpersonal. I abandon them not because i couldn’t handle them but because they were getting petty, annoying and old. They were gone and obvious some talks about it occured when i didn’t face it. A bit it just gave me some testing in my mind about the question they would ask you in college same as the blog itself it gave me an imagination of what i may become in college. A bit determination, about college and free choice of will. Because they removed “Topic of your choice”. Yes because i wouldn’t like to have my choice without it for completing it and also fell right about my choice.
Maybe because to avoid further criticism or realization that what were they doing was wrong and shouldn’t take away the “Topic of your choice” from college students. What the new topics have in common is opinion discussion, belief, date reference, expectations and many more eventually. Not used to it or comfortable at first as a college student and i may would get used to it but at the same time i wouldn’t feel that good to me but experience can pinpoint that truthfully.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think Kayla Montgomery is a person of inspiration for many young people for their disabilities and not stop fighting for the thing that really makes them happy. His way of thinking about every time you make a career but always have in mind that will fall at end of each race makes me feel very proud of it because it shows lot faith in itself and that are positive things that the world really needs see every day. I admire many people but the two people I most admire in my life are my parents because they decided leave everything we had in Puerto Rico to seek the best for us no matter what happened. Everyone says that the person who move to the United States is very simple and that is not true, because to get where I and my family we have to go through lot and the truth that my parents work every day for welfare of us. One of the toughest challenges of my life was come here and leave everything there in Puerto Rico, but it was worth because my family and I are fine and we live peacefully and that was the goal. I want study hard to have a good job and to fulfill my dream is travel the world and be a moment of inspiration for many people. I hope you liked the blog this week we will see in the next blog.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Kayla Montgomery's determination to run even tho she falls down after every race is very special. It is special because someone with no injury would easily give up, but she wants to accomplish things in life. Kayla is living life to it’s fullest. She needs to because at anytime she could end up in a wheelchair and will be stuck there for the rest of her life. When you want something in life that means a lot to you, you need to go after it and hit it hard.
ReplyDeleteI know a few people that have had many difficult problems in life but they still overcome it. One person i have known for many years is a cook at my uncle’s restaurant. When he was in his 40’s he had a bad injury that broke both of his knees. Now he is 63. For the past 23 years he has had bad knees. He used a kane for a long time but still does not walk normal. Everyday he walks to work because he can not drive. He can be an asshole but he is someone who had to overcome a long term disability. About 6 weeks ago he went and had surgery on his knees. He is still recovering but he is now able to walk great.
Last year i had to overcome an emotional problem. My dad was removed from my house for 1 month and my mom worked 75 hours a week to make money for the family. I had to stop sports and give up all of my free time to take care of my 2 brothers and my little sister. It was very difficult but i had no choice. I was able to overcome this will the help of my family. My grandma would come over and watch my siblings so i could get out of the house for once. Overcoming problems can be very difficult but they are not impossible.
I think That she is the definition of tough tough is being able to withstand pain and continue to move forward no matter what. Running and falling and getting back up and running again is like a real OG , I do not think that getting back up would be the very next thing i would do. I would fall and roll out the way because I would be finished with life at that point. People who go through obstacles but continue to move on that I admire are every man and woman on the battlefield every day risking their life for me. If you think about it they do encounter obstacles. obstacles are things that get in the way from your set destination. So if some hostiles destroy their vehicle, they would not give up they keep in mind that they have a mission to accomplish and they would walk even if it would take a week. I remember a time when i was being chased by a dog and i tried jumping a fence but i hit my leg and i had to continue to run or die. eventually it got tired and so was I. I knew I had to keep running though the pain I was feeling. My thigh had a deep gash but if I did not keep running I would have many more deep gashes. Another time where I had encountered obstacles was when I was in a wrestling match in middle school and I was slammed down on my arm and I dislocated my shoulder I did lose but I only lost by one point when I was losing by 5. I did not give up because my set goal was to win but hard work does not always grant you success
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