8-year-old is inspiration
Compiled by John Ryan
Mercury News
Article Launched: 06/04/2008 01:38:28 AM PDT
We'll be seeing more of this kid. Whether it's the
ESPYs or "60 Minutes," it's required inspirational viewing.
Adam Bender, an 8-year-old in Lexington, Ky., plays baseball, football and s****r - on one leg. He lost his left leg to cancer at age 1.
"I was a little hesitant when we first brought him up here for baseball," his mother, Michelle, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "I thought his spirit might be crushed if he got out every time. Then I thought, who am I to micromanage his feelings? He's going to have to learn how to deal with this stuff.
"The more I shelter him, the more he'll think, 'I'm fragile.' I don't think I'll ever tell him he can't do something."
In baseball, Adam plays catcher. He bats while balancing on one leg and then hops to first base; if he's safe, he uses crutches the rest of the way. He uses the crutches in s****r as well. In flag football, he played quarterback from a shotgun formation - but, his coach told the paper, he insisted on playing receiver once and hopped 5 yards downfield to make a diving catch in the end zone.
Adam doesn't like the way a prosthesis slows him down and insists on not using a wheelchair. Other than that, he just wants to do what his older brother and younger sister do.
"He pops out of bed at 60 miles an hour and doesn't quit until he collapses at the end of the day," said his dad, Chris. "He's always wanted to do everything."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4LMBEBM1qc
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