Take a look at Kyle on the left. Just weeks ago he had needles sticking out of his head. He had been diagnosed with meningitis, a fatal life threatening disease of the brain that strikes both adults and infants. If Kyle managed to survive it, it would have still left him epileptic, deaf or mentally retarded.

But he didn’t.

He survived.

A 3 month old baby, barely here in the world, had hung in there fighting for his life in a tiny hospital bed. With scarcely enough life experience, he could’ve just curled up and died but he didn’t. He fought a one month long battle and won.

That’s the Kyle you see now. This was taken weeks after his near brush with death. He’s smiling as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. This baby’s gotten a taste of life and he’s not letting go. It was a miracle.

He’s living proof that if you never give up, you can conquer all odds and win. Unlike some people, who meet a few obstacles and feel like throwing in the towel.

Some people like me.

I’ve finally decided to stop moaning about my present circumstances and do something about it. So I brushed away the dust in my resume and started hunting for jobs. Jobs less stressful than the one I’m currently at with no paperwork and would give me freedom and time to write. You’d think that at these times of financial crisis, this would be labeled as one of the stupidest things a person could ever do. Most people would stay safely where they are, hiding in the cheery comforts of their homes rather than step outside and into the dark dangerous world.

I’m not most people.

So I sent the resumes flying into the world with a prayer on my lips. Then the rejections came pouring in. And like most people, I don’t take them lightly. But what makes these rejections worse was that they weren’t based on lack of qualifications, crappy portfolio or because of the economic crisis.

I was rejected because of my nationality.

It felt like a slap in the face. No, a brutal punch in the gut that smashes my insides. Because had it been lack of qualifications, I could’ve gotten out and earned more certificates. Had it been they’ve got a tight budget, I could’ve looked for another company. Had it been my writing sucked, I could’ve improved.

But I cannot change who I am.

You’d think that with history being made as the first African-American was inaugurated as president in one of the economic giants, there would be less bigots in the world but no. In a lot of countries, racism still exists.

I’m qualified. No. I’ve got talent. No. I’ve got experience. No. I have what it takes. No. I’m sorry. You just came from the wrong country.

I felt like tearing my hair out.

When did people lose their common sense?

I felt like just hoisting the white flag in this battle of life. Why expose myself to this unfair attack day by day? This was a different fight than the rejections I had with my short stories. It was a fight I was slowly losing because there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Then my friend showed me Kyle’s picture and started telling me his story. A person decades younger than I am battled death and won. As my friend recounted the story, tears came to my eyes.

“Kyle’s father, my nephew wanted to give up too,” she said. “He didn’t know how he could raise all that money. He was only a student. But then I told him, ‘Look at your son. He’s fighting so hard to survive. He wants to live. But he can’t do this alone. He needs you. Fight for him.’”

And he did. A person younger than I am stripped himself of his pride and took to begging and asked just about anyone for money to pay for his child’s hospital bills. Eventually, he did it and Kyle came home, healthy into the arms of his relieved mother. And here I was, into my first week of job hunting and ready to give up and here was a young unemployed father who did all he could to save his son, here was a baby up against a life threatening disease and won.

For the first time, I felt something heavy had been lifted from my chest. For the first time, I felt my old spirit waking up. For the first time, I set my jaw and rose up, ready for another round in the ring. Kyle’s story has given me something that I’ve never felt in the past few days.

It has given me hope.

Take a look at ‘Miraculous Baby Charlotte’s’ story, another infant who had the most severe form meningitis, Despite having lost both her arms and legs from gangrene, she survived.