What’s Your Story?
Everyone Has a Story. Everyone Can Inspire.
Miracles happen every day. Ordinary people do extraordinary things. Their stories inspire us and give us hope. They remind us that anything is possible if we just put our minds to it. What’s your story?
- Friends of Jaclyn
- The Last Lecture
- The Child Prodigy
- Free Rice
- Heart of a Climber
- Forgiveness & Hope
- Sportsmanship
Boasting five consecutive national championships, the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team might be the most dominant program in NCAA history. For those close to the team, it’s common knowledge that their magic run began only after a secret weapon was brought in: Jaclyn Murphy. Diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at age nine, the Hopewell Junction, NY native was in desperate need of a lift when the team reached out to her. Inspired by their uplifting relationship, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation has been established to link other children with malignant brain tumors to college teams around the country.
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008), gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
When six-year-old Kyle Lograsso tees it up, everybody stops to watch – he’s already shot a 38 on nine holes and can drive the ball more than 150 yards. Even more impressive is that Kyle accomplishes all this with just one eye. At age two, he was diagnosed with bilateral retinolblastoma, a rare form of cancer, in both eyes, and subsequently underwent months of chemotherapy and the removal of his left eye. Now, a year and a half since Kyle was originally profiled on REAL SPORTS, correspondent Frank Deford travels to Kyle’s new home in Murrieta, Cal. as the young athlete gets his groove back following the return of his father from a recent deployment to Iraq.
Every six seconds a child dies of starvation. A creative website aims to stop this trend. It all started with a computer programmer who wanted a fun way for his son to learn new vocabulary words. Free Rice is now one of the most popular online games. It lets you effortlessly help feed the hungry while you play along.
Kelly Perkins and her husband Craig have gained international recognition for their remarkable courage and landmark accomplishments. With Craig’s support, Kelly has expanded the possibilities of what a heart transplant recipient can do, climbing mountains that few thought possible.
Ronald Cotton served 11 years of a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. A DNA test proved his innocence. His ability to forgive his accuser, whose positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars, proved his character.
In her last game, Western Oregon University senior Sara Tucholsky hit her first-ever collegiate home run. Overjoyed, she missed first base, and as she turned back to tag it, her knee gave out. She had suffered a torn ACL. Tucholsky crawled back to first, but unable to touch all the bases, her only career home run was about to become a long single. In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Mallory Holtman, Central Washington’s first baseman and all-time home run hitter, stepped forward and asked if she could carry the injured opponent around the bases. She and teammate Liz Wallace gently lifted Tucholsky and carried her from base to base, allowing her to tap each base with her foot.