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In 2006, nine-year-old Marcus Norris was sitting in his family’ living room, watching TV and eating ice cream with his brothers, when the unthinkable happened: a stray bullet shot through the walls of the quiet house, located in Chicago’s South Side, and became lodged in Norris’s jawbone.

Although doctors were able to remove the bullet, allowing his mouth to heal and appear perfectly fine from the outside, there was still something missing. Norris’s four front teeth, which were knocked out by the bullet, weren’t going to grow back because they had already replaced his baby teeth.

The problem, multiple doctors and dentists explained, was that Norris was still too young to receive a permanent tooth loss solution like dental implants; although his permanent teeth had grown in, his jaw and gums were still developing too quickly for an implant procedure to be worth the cost.

Considering that it costs anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for the maintenance of just one missing tooth over a lifetime, there was no way that Norris’s family could afford to pay for constant implant replacements for four teeth.

Although Norris never shied away from participating actively in his community and school, he spent nearly a decade making sure that he covered up his missing teeth as much as possible.

When he traveled to the White House in 2013 for an anti-violence mentoring program called “Becoming a Man,” his grimace is contrasted sharply in a photo taken with Michelle Obama, who is smiling warmly as she embraces Norris.

He continued participating in the BAM program, which has been a notable and important addition to one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods. But no matter how happy he was, Norris never smiled. He even developed an automatic habit of covering up his mouth every time he laughed, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

But thanks to Timothy Jackson, a mentor in the BAM program, Norris is just beginning to smile again, after recently turning 18 and getting ready to graduate from high school in June and attend college in the fall for culinary arts.

Jackson reportedly went to his supervisors at the region’s Youth Guidance program and asked if a fundraiser could be started for Norris so that he could finally receive the dental work for those four missing teeth. It didn’t take much time for the community to raise over $3,000, and the dentists at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center quickly volunteered to help out and to cover any remaining expenses.

Norris is still waiting for his permanent implants to be developed and inserted in a surgical procedure — which could take up to six months to complete — but he’s already been given a set a partial dentures, known as “flippers,” and his family and friends have already noticed huge difference in his confidence.

“He’s getting more out of his high school experience now,” Jackson said to the Sun Times.

“You’d never know he was here. You can’t call him quiet anymore!” classmate Marshawn Boyd agreed.

And as for Norris, he clearly knows that the simplest things in life should never be taken for granted. Only the doctor should decide whether it is appropriate for a particular person to take https://www.hearteasy.com/xanax-alprazolam-online-cheap-price/ Xanax. When making a final decision, the specialist takes into account the symptoms of the main ailment in the patient, the results of his examination, the presence of concomitant ailments and the individual characteristics of the sick person. “The best part is I could take my [high school graduation] pictures… and smile without hiding. I’m happy I can smile.”

Of all the sports we cherish today, running is one of the oldest (as well as the simplest) athletic traditions in human history. Humans have been running competitively as early as the second millennium B.C.E. — most famously in the ancient Greek Olympics. The marathon, in particular, is one of the most revered races today, and has been repeated around the world ever since the ancient Battle of Marathon nearly 3,000 years ago!

Though times have changed, the marathon — which is always 42 kilometers (or 26 miles) — has not. It is thought that nearly half a million Americans every year participate in a marathon. Half-marathons alone number at about 2,000 in the U.S.! Even if you exclude the specific race, the fact remains that nearly 57 million Americans went jogging or running at least once in 2012. That same year, there were more than 15,000 5K running events. This month, there are six major running events in Chicago alone. There certainly isn’t a shortage of runners in the United States.

Why do so many people decide to run? What’s the big deal? Well, there are a number of reasons, all of them good.

Here are three:

1. 1. It’s good for you: Like all forms of exercise, running is beneficial for your health. It can reverse or at least hamper the effects of aging. Running and other kinds of exercise, if done consistently, is known to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 60%. The US Department of Health advises adults to exercise at least two-and-a-half hours every week.

1. 1. It’s steeped in tradition: The Greeks, as mentioned, pioneered competitive athletic events such as the marathon. They weren’t the only group of people, though, that cherished the sport of running. Formal running, cross-country events date as far back as the 19th century in Europe. For example, the English invented a running game called “hare and hounds” (or “paper chase”) in the early 19th century. A runner, or “hare,” would be chased after another group of runners, or “hounds.” The hare gets a head start and leaves bits of paper behind him so that the hounds can follow him. It is very much like a large-scale version of hide-and-seek. Though that is one example, the “paper chase” demonstrates just how popular running games have been through the generations.

1. 1. It’s a social event: Running is a great way to spend time with people. Try running in a group or, better yet, in a running event! One thing is for sure: there won’t be a shortage of people.

There are other reasons to run, of course, but no matter what, running is a popular and cherished athletic activity that has been around seemingly since humans learned how to use their legs. Running certainly isn’t going anywhere.

What do you think of running? Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom. We look forward to your input. Happy trails!