WEBVTT - The Winner Who Always Finished Last

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<v Speaker 1>This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,

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<v Speaker 1>the show where America is the star and the American people.

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<v Speaker 1>Up next, we have another listener's story sent to us

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<v Speaker 1>from Roger Wrench in Iowa. Today, Roger is sharing a

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<v Speaker 1>story about his stepson Stage called the winner who always

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<v Speaker 1>finished last.

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<v Speaker 2>This is the story of the kid who finished last

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<v Speaker 2>every time he ran in the slowest heat with the

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<v Speaker 2>slowest runners, and he was the slowest of the slow

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<v Speaker 2>often coming in several seconds behind the other runners. For

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<v Speaker 2>three years, in track meet after track meet after track meet,

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<v Speaker 2>he finished last. It had not always been so. In

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<v Speaker 2>seventh grade, he was the fastest kid on his cross

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<v Speaker 2>country team and competed with the best runners from the

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<v Speaker 2>other schools. In his last meet, he finished twelfth out

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<v Speaker 2>of one hundred and sixty nine runners, and the other

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<v Speaker 2>eleven ahead of him were all a year older. In

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<v Speaker 2>eighth grade, he loved running and looked forward to getting

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<v Speaker 2>better and faster. Then tragedy struck. A tumor was found

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<v Speaker 2>in the back of his brain. This after a lifelong

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<v Speaker 2>genetic disease had limited his physical activity his whole life.

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<v Speaker 2>Running was the first athletic thing he was able to

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<v Speaker 2>do and now that was being taken away. He endured

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<v Speaker 2>a year and a half of radiation and chemo. Because

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<v Speaker 2>of his rare disease, sometimes the doctors weren't sure how

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<v Speaker 2>to treat him. There were difficult days, including seventeen in

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<v Speaker 2>a row where he was unconscious for most of it

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<v Speaker 2>over the Christmas holiday. The tumor was removed quickly after

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<v Speaker 2>being discovered. He made it through treatment in many months

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<v Speaker 2>of physical therapy. For four years now he's been in remission,

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<v Speaker 2>but cancer left its mark. His radiation and chemo treatment

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<v Speaker 2>stole much of his physical strength, balance, speed, and endurance.

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<v Speaker 2>That seventh grade flier is long gone, but he ran anyway.

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<v Speaker 2>He joined his track team and competed as hard as

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<v Speaker 2>he could. He ran his best every race and improved

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<v Speaker 2>his personal best time. He cheered on his teammates and

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<v Speaker 2>inspired them every time he ran. Though the clock said

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<v Speaker 2>he came in last again and again. Those who know

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<v Speaker 2>him would tell you a much different story. So when

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<v Speaker 2>his mom and I walk Sage out onto the track

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<v Speaker 2>on senior night, we couldn't have been prouder. In the

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<v Speaker 2>bulletin noting his plans after high school graduation were these

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<v Speaker 2>words of his own. In this life, you will experience

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<v Speaker 2>hardship and tribulation, but don't let those life altering experiences

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<v Speaker 2>define you as a person. Write your own story. Defy

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<v Speaker 2>the odds, Sage Helster. Real winners are not the ones

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<v Speaker 2>with the fastest times. They're the ones who keep running

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<v Speaker 2>and always give their best. They never give up. They

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<v Speaker 2>take their tests and make it their testimony. They turn

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<v Speaker 2>their tragedies into triumph. They inspire others to make the

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<v Speaker 2>most of what they have. They believe there is perpose

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<v Speaker 2>us in all of life's challenges, and they do their

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<v Speaker 2>best while cheering others on to greatness. The clock may

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<v Speaker 2>tell one story, but their lives tell another. This is

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<v Speaker 2>the story of a runner who could have quit when

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<v Speaker 2>tragedy struck and never set foot on a track again. Instead,

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<v Speaker 2>he laced up his shoes and endured the humiliation of

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<v Speaker 2>finishing last every time because he loved to run and

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<v Speaker 2>inspire others. Sometimes he wonders what could have been. What

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<v Speaker 2>if he never got cancer? How fast would he be

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<v Speaker 2>able to run? Could he have won some medals and

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<v Speaker 2>gone to state Those questions will always linger in his head.

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<v Speaker 2>But he gave us all with what he had that's

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<v Speaker 2>all any of us can do. Sage has developed others

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<v Speaker 2>gills in life that he's working on, things like music.

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<v Speaker 2>He taught himself to play guitar and recorded some of

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<v Speaker 2>his own songs. He even performed them before his peers.

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<v Speaker 2>He's worked extremely hard to develop that talent with years

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<v Speaker 2>of hard work, and he knows that probably wouldn't have

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<v Speaker 2>happened if it weren't for cancer. His attitude, faith and

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<v Speaker 2>trust in God's purpose for his life has grown by

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<v Speaker 2>leaps and bounds, and he's still running as fast as

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<v Speaker 2>his remaining strength and endurance will take him. Clocks don't

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<v Speaker 2>determine the winners. People do by the way they choose

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<v Speaker 2>to live. They're the ones who keep running and never

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<v Speaker 2>give up no matter what obstacles they face or what

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<v Speaker 2>life throws at them. Sage will keep running his race.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's all follow his example and run our race with perseverance.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's keep doing our best every day. Forget about everyone

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<v Speaker 2>else and stay focused on improving ourselves and getting better

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<v Speaker 2>each day. Let's take what we've been given and make

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<v Speaker 2>the most of it. To all the winners who never finish.

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<v Speaker 2>First Roger.

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<v Speaker 1>And a special thanks to Madison for her work on

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<v Speaker 1>the production of that piece, and a special thanks to

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<v Speaker 1>Roger Wench in Iowa, a listener and a contributor. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>also to Sage for providing his example write your own story.

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<v Speaker 1>Sage said, defy the odds, and Roger put it right.

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<v Speaker 1>Clocks don't determine winners. People do. And Sage will keep

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<v Speaker 1>running his race. And that's what we all have to

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<v Speaker 1>do in the end, folks, we have to keep running

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<v Speaker 1>our race. Favorite quote on all of this comes from

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<v Speaker 1>one of my heroes, John Wooden, who said about success,

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<v Speaker 1>success is peace of mind, which is a direct result

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<v Speaker 1>of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to

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<v Speaker 1>become the best of which you are capable. And Sage's

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<v Speaker 1>life is a living example. Sage's story, so many of

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<v Speaker 1>us running our own race, maybe not getting the Blue ribbon,

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<v Speaker 1>or running anyway and running for the joy of it.

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