Short story     
Once upon a time there was a kid named Johnny. He lived in South Carolina with his mom Jill and his dad Bob. Bob worked long hours in a factory in order to provide for the family and Jill stayed at home picking up random housecleaning jobs when neighbors were gracious enough to give her the work. The neighborhood was poor. Their home had very little yard space, no upstairs and only 850 square feet. Johnny attended a very small school with only 100 students. Many of the students had similar living arrangements as Johnny. It wasn’t until Johnny picked up a basketball in seventh grade that he felt that he would amount to anything. It was at the community park on a summer evening. An older crowd of boys, maybe high schoolers, called out to Johnny as he was walking by the park. They were short a player and needed a body to fill the void. Never having played in this setting Johnny was nervous, but somehow his small body just knew what to do. He was a natural. The high schoolers were astounded when he made several shots and was quick on his feet on defense. From that day forward, Johnny would meet the kids on the court every night they could. His skills and confidence grew. The court was the one place that Johnny could escape the stresses of home. It was shortly after that he joined a local basketball team through a scholarship he had received from the local recreation center. His skills continued to develop and he began rising above all the other players in his league.
It became time for him to start high school. He was already known around the small town by everyone as a great basketball player. He was starting his freshman year at Raymond High confident that he would make the varsity team. Little did he know, everything would quickly change. It was preseason and Johnny was playing against Spartanburg High School and it was the fourth quarter, they were up by five. He jumped out of bounds to save the ball and landed with a thud on the hardwood. Johnny broke his shin bone and tore his achilles tendon. He screamed in pain as he heard the ripping of his leg. Before he knew it everything became fuzzy and he passed out from the shock. He was rushed to the hospital and the nurses did all they could to take away the pain. Johnny feared the worst as the doctors went to work on splinting up the leg.
It wasn’t until the next morning that the doctors were able to give any conclusive results. What they had to say was not what Johnny wanted to hear. They told he would never be able to run again, let alone play again. They informed Johnny that he needed a 13,000 dollar surgery if he was ever going to play basketball again. At that moment Johnny knew his life and basketball career was over and his opportunities once again fell back to none. This truth was unbearable. Johnny and his parents were helplessly thinking of what to do about his injury. Johnny was barely able to attend school let alone do things around the house. In the weeks that followed all Johnny could think about was what his future would have looked like if he would have continued playing basketball. He could have gotten a scholarship to play in college and pursue an education that could lead to a great job one day. Most of all, it could move him away from the small, poor town he had grown up in.
Johnny’s parents were giving him all the support they could and doing all they can to make him feel better, but they know that the devastation that he was feeling was far more than they could take away. Johnny sat around for months with continuing pain and disappointment. He would never be able to get the money for surgery, there was no way that his parents could raise the funds. His dad was working so many hours already and they had barely enough money to get by. He couldn’t comprehend the truth that he would never be able to do what he loved for the rest of his life.   
However, it all changed one day. It was a bright, sunny day at the beginning of spring. He had been unable to play basketball for five months. It was quiet and lonely throughout the house, all you could hear was the sound of the hawks fighting over food in what seemed to be the distant outdoors. Then the silence broke as the phone rang and Jill, Johnny’s mom, rushed to answer it. On the phone was the head of Nike Corporation calling to talk to Johnny. Starstruck, his mom handed him the phone. The play that Johnny got hurt in had made its way onto the internet because of the town’s support for Johnny. It touched the hearts of all who watched and read about the devastating story. It made it all the way to Nike.  The CEO was touched by the story because he had grown up with a friend with a very similar story. However, his friend was unable to pay and could never play again. Because of this, Nike wanted to sponsor him for the amazing play he made as he dove out of bounds to save the ball to get it back to his team. Johnny couldn’t believe it! He was ecstatic. He was starting to see opportunities arise in his life once again. Nike was willing to pay for his medical bill, new basketball shoes, and sponsor him so he could continue a successful basketball career. His legacy would live on! Johnny’s parents and the whole town threw a party to celebrate the amazing news.
After the surgery and a six month recovery period, Johnny was finally able to get back on the basketball court. He continued playing basketball throughout high school and eventually got a scholarship to South Carolina University. With the help of Nike and his great skills he was able to play professional basketball. Through playing professional basketball he was able to earn enough money to help his parents buy a better house, a car, and whatever they needed along the road. Also later in his career he started a foundation called Sports Against Poverty to help kids who live in poverty get involved in sports so they have a better chance at the life ahead. Johnny ended up helping over 400,000 kids in poverty get involved in sports.      
     Ultimately, Johnny was able to make a better life for himself and others around him all through one terrible accident. The great lesson that can be learned from this story is that even when things seem impossible, anything can happen.