Student Overcomes Adversity to Return to His Favorite Sport
Adversity affects people from all walks of life and does not discriminate. How you respond to it determines whether you will be triumphant or not. This brings us to the story of Marquis Saffold a 13 year old student at West Park Academy of Fine Arts & Technology in Chicago, IL. Marquis and his family reside on the West Side of the city. Growing up in a major city has its challenges so Marquis knows that he has to be on his P’s and Q’s in order to meet his goals. He does his best to try to stay on top of his school work and home responsibilities and like every other child he also wants to have fun. On April 25th 2014, Marquis, his little brother and some friends decided to spend part of their day playing basketball. However, that day would not be a regular day. While playing basketball they heard what appeared to be a gunshot that some thought was a fire cracker, and as a precautionary measure Marquis put his little brother behind him. Again the sound repeated and Marquis knew it was a gunshot so he sprang into action trying to get his brother out of harm’s way but he himself was shot in the leg. A flood of thoughts ran through Marquis’s mind but at the center of them were keeping his brother safe. Thankfully they managed to make it to the house of a community member who called the police and the ambulance. Relieved that his brother was safe Marquis’s attention shifted to himself. Being an avid sports lover Marquis wanted to know if he would be able to participate in many of the sports that he loved mainly football. He was assured that he would be able continue playing sports but that football would probably be a challenge for him due to the strenuous requirements of the sport. He was a little disappointed but not deterred from continuing to pursue his love of the sport. Marquis’s rehab took two months due to much of it being delivered by his family and himself but he was able to return to school and get back on track to finish the 2014-2015 school year. He is thankful to those who supported him through his ordeal specifically his family and his homeroom teacher Mr. Peter Gyorffy. Marquis learned a few lessons that he thinks will be with him throughout life. He learned to be observant of his surroundings and to never give up on your goals!
