Science 8B

Dr.G

Alex Lysicanova

                                                      You Can't Destroy Me

    There was only one thing I was programmed for… running. I was born on February 14^th, at 15:08, just 5 minutes later I was injected with genes, but not any normal growth genes, I was injected with the genes of a Cheetah. These cells have changed many features within me, including my speed, reflexes, nail growth and unfortunately hair growth as well. My only goal in life is to be the fastest runner the world has ever seen, I’ve never been taught different, there for I train daily however don’t have to put as much effort into trying as much as an average person would have to. There are ups and downs to my specialty to which I had to adapt from my birth, for example, since my androgens are high, I grow more facial and body hair than an average person, I have to shave every day if not more (unless I want to look like a hairy beast), I gained enlarged lungs and nostrils, allowing me a fast and deep air-intake while running, I have an enlarged heart to pump a huge amount of blood around the body and lastly they say I have an outstanding power-to-weight ratio. Then my muscle comes in question, I work out 4 times a day, but my muscles grow as if I would train non-stop. I didn’t gain muscle genetics from my parents. I run 100-200m, just like a cheetah I can only maintain a sprint for a matter of seconds; a long chase leaves a Cheetah dangerously close to oxygen deprivation. I am lucky to be who I am.

Chapter 2- I’m used to Competition

                “3..2…1..” BOOM!

We all start sprinting, im running in lane 4 to my right I see an American, average height, wearing a red running suit, to my left a German man, around the age of 24 and just a little taller than me. I am the youngest man running; at only the age of 18 I am holding the record of the 100m with a time of 8.98 beating Bolts record. I won 15 races in a row now, and of course I won this one too. March 7^th, the first day I lost by 0.02 milliseconds. I lost against an Italian, Lorenzo Zampa. That was impossible, he was not inserted with anything, I was really amazed… and so was my father.

“What the heck was that? How could you let him beat you? I thought you were better than that! This could ruin your whole career.”

My father would get mad at anything I would do wrong, he wanted me to be perfect, but he had a weird way of showing it.

Chapter 3- It used to be

That’s the way life used to be. Now I’m retired. The story I tell people isn’t long, only the ones that were there known the whole truth.  The last time I raced was on August 29^th, right after I passed the finish line I couldn’t breathe, it felt as if my neck was closing in but the bigger problem was about to come. I never mentioned it, but when the doctors injected the cheetah genes into my blood, they also checked on what problems may emerged during my life period. The results were: 15% of chance to get cancer, 26% of chance for high blood pressure however 76% chance of heart failure. I never knew that until I actually suffered from a heart failure. My whole life I should have taken pills, I did but not the ones I needed, there for my heart stopped working because of too much pressure. Right after the race they bought me to the hospital where they operated me, since then I was never again aloud nor able to run. The only thing I could do got taken away from me.

Chapter 4- My future in You

I was walking my dogs on a sunny Monday, when I passed a fence, there was a young boy running. He looked so tired, all sweaty but he was forcing himself to do more. That was something new for me, I never saw anyone putting so much effort into something they wanted, but I saw something within him, there was... there was will. From that day on I’ve been spending every single day with him, if it is to bring him to school or to train him. I’ve coached him for as long as I can remember, sometimes I even think he is better than I ever was. It’s his 18^th birthday next week, he has made me realize many things I hadn’t, such as it doesn’t matter what you were made for, if you have a dream you can make it happen. He was programmed to be an average boy, and he ended up following my footsteps as if he were programmed to be the best runner. Now I watch him on tv, I remember myself t his age, but I have no regrets, I believe he can make it further than me, and my life is not over yet, as Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”