Walter Wetzel had met Ryan Lamantia nearly eight years ago in a hospital waiting room. Both were very sick——Ryan with brain cancer, Walter with leukemia (白血病). Ryan, who was 3 at the time, began making silly faces at Walter and chatted about going home to change into his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume. Several days later, Ryan moved to another hospital. Though they saw each other only a handful of times after that, Walter never forgot Ryan.
"He inspired me to fight against my cancer," said Walter, now 17, a football player. Then one day, Walter saw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt at a mall, which made him decide to search out Ryan. Back home, Walter typed in "Ryan Lake in the Hills brain cancer" on his computer, and a link to a Facebook page for Ryan came up. But, the news was shocking.
Ryan had died on Sept. 8, 2005. He was 6. The Facebook page was for the Ryan Lamantia Foundation, a non-profit organization that Ryan's family formed after his death to raise money for brain cancer research.
Walter left this message right away: ."Ryan is my hero. My trips to the hospital were always horrible, until the day I met Ryan."
Ryan's mom's eyes were filled with tears as she read Waiter's message. "We always knew Ryan was special, but to hear it from somebody else, it really means the world to us," Lamantia said.
Walter wasn't the only person who was greatly impressed with Ryan.
"He was a little superhero," said Wendy Stellpflug, a nurse at Children' s Memorial Hospital. "Ryan always kept his spirits high, even after he suffered hearing loss and experienced 14 operations."
"Ryan didn’ t let his illness stop him. He always had a smile on his face," said Dr. Stewart Goldman, the doctor who treated Ryan.
Walter and his family have been in touch with the Lamantias for the past few weeks. And last week, they met for the first time since Ryan's death. The families told stories of being affected by cancer so young and Walter expressed his hope to volunteer with Ryan' s foundation.
Walter and Ryan_________.
A.first met in 2005 |
B.suffered severe illnesses |
C.were in the same hospital for a long time |
D.both liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume |
Walter finally wanted to get in touch with Ryan because___________.
A.he saw the news about Ryan on the Internet |
B.he wanted to thank Ryan in person |
C.an object reminded him of Ryan |
D.he raised money for Ryan |
After reading Waiter's message online, Ryan' s mom felt_____.
A.proud of her son |
B.grateful for his help |
C.happy about his recovery |
D.sad again at her son' s death |
Which of the following can best describe Ryan?
A.Determined and considerate. |
B.Optimistic and brave. |
C.Friendly and patient. |
D.Brave and proud. |
We know from the text that Walter_________.
A.survived the cancer |
B.experienced 14 operations |
C.searched for Ryan on the Facebook |
D.founded the Ryan Lamantia Foundation |