Tenacity

Tenacity is a little boy born with a large disfiguring hemangioma on the side of his face, the multiple laser treatments causing those passing by to stare.

Tenacity is a boy with Cerebral Palsy: orthotics on his legs, always ten steps behind the other boys on the soccer field but still with a smile on his face.

Tenacity is endless therapies to battle the ever-tightening muscles: from physical therapy to occupational therapy and even Botox injections in the legs, the fight was real.

Tenacity is Bilateral Femoral De-rotational Osteotomy: surgically breaking the femurs and rotating the legs outward, putting a young boy in casts for an entire summer and forcing him to re-learn how to walk.

Tenacity is twenty minutes of every day just to maintain range of motion.

Tenacity is a boy with ADD who surmounted the challenge of learning to focus to the point where he became an honor roll student.

Tenacity is discovering a love of Chemistry, becoming an AP Chemistry TA and helping others understand and love it too.

Tenacity is mountain biking: training hard and eating healthy, eventually earning the role of Edina High School mountain bike team captain and teaching younger bikers the basics.

Tenacity is working at a local bike store to fund a college education while using the skills learned during the job to help teach teammates bike maintenance.

Tenacity is overcoming the struggle of managing cerebral palsy so successfully that the local Children’s Hospital and Minneapolis Star Tribune write an article about it.

Tenacity is working hard in life when nothing seems to come easy, finding your niche in life and pursuing it with all you’ve got.

I am Max Ellingson, tenacious in pursuit of a Chemical Engineering degree.

Tenacious in pursuit of living life to the fullest.