Sometimes, teachers can make all the difference.
Matt Woodrum, 11, has cerebral palsy but doesn’t want to let that stop him from being as normal as possible.
So Woodrum decided to participate in his school’s 400-meter-race, despite being told he didn’t have to.
Matt not only wanted to compete in the race but keep up with his classmates.
Unfortunately, his classmates pulled ahead early on and Matt was noticeably struggling down the home stretch with the possibility looming that he wouldn’t even finish.
So Matt’s gym teacher John Blaine walked over and jogged with him, encouraging Matt, telling him he could definitely finish the race.
Blaine’s actions spurred on the other students to run over and cheer Matt on to the finish line. The result is so moving that even though the video is a few years old, people keep sharing and watching.
“I knew I would finish it,” said the soft-spoken Matt, AP reported. “But there were a couple of parts of the race where I really felt like giving up.”
“He pushes through everything. He pushes through the pain, and he pushes through however long it may take to complete a task,” his mother said. “He wants to go big or go home.”
“The kids will tell you that Matt never gives up on anything that he sets out to do,” said Blaine. “They knew he would cross that finish line, and they wanted to be a part of that.”
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