Christine Ristaino and Benny Smith released StoryCorps

Dramatic seizures aren’t enough to dampen this 11-year-old’s quest for knowledge – and this interview suggests they have actually piqued the boy’s spirituality and love for friends and family.

After the seizures started about a year ago, Benny Smith had to leave school and be tutored at home. That’s rough for a brilliant kid who has an insatiable thirst for learning–but it is also tough on his sister who didn’t get equal attention at home. Benny pointed out this fact to his mother, hoping to change it, which shows he’s more worried about his family’s well-being than his own.

In a candid, thoughtful interview recorded by his mom for the StoryCorps website, this smart-as-a-whip child reveals, “I’ve got a yearning.”

“It’s like the call of the sirens from Odysseus, but instead of flesh-eating monsters, it’s like a treasure-trove of knowledge.”

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As you can see, Benny is not your average sixth-grader.

He’s going back to the classroom this year and throughout his ordeal kept a positive outlook on life, saying he has stayed focused on the “galaxy of experiences” life holds for him.

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He believes–with the support of his friends–he’s invincible.

“Nothing can stop me!”

(LISTEN to the interview below from StoryCorps) — Photo: StoryCorps.org

 

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