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Edward Lychik is not the type of person to let adversity stifle his ambitions. With the help of a prosthetic leg, the 23-year-old former Army combat engineer will run the Boston Marathon April 21.

A tale of perseverance
After being shot by a recoilless rifle during his service in Afghanistan, Lychik's leg was amputated at the hip socket, The News Tribune reported. Doctors informed him that, in the best case scenario, he would be able to walk again using crutches. Lychik rejected this verdict and proceeded to consult his physical therapist, Alicia White, about running again.

At first, White and Lychik's prosthetist, Bob Kuenzi, were noncommittal toward the veteran's dream. After the seventh time Lychik insisted that he wanted to run again, White finally spoke with Kuenzi about this possibility.

"I never said, 'No, you can't,' but there was nothing I could find anywhere that indicated it could be done with his level of amputation," Kuenzi told The News Tribune. "I told him to walk first, then we'd work on it."

Just a few months after this conversation, Lychik was walking again. The next step was to design a leg suited for running. Lychik and Kuenzi toyed with various prototypes before developing an effective solution – a prosthetic leg secured by a belt around the veteran's waist.

Once this prosthesis was created, it did not take long for Lychik to completely defy his doctors' expectations. According to MyFoxHouston, he took to the track mere days after his first fitting and soon ran an impressive 8-minute mile. To Kuenzi's astonishment, Lychik announced that he wanted to participate in the 12-mile, 28-obstacle Tough Mudder​ event. He finished the competition with his Wounded Warrior team and began to consider running a full marathon.

Lychik shares his story with young students
In addition to pursuing the personal goal of finishing the Boston Marathon, Lychik intends to share his incredible story with elementary school students.

"This leg is a tool for me to inspire others," Lynch told The News Tribune. "If I can do things on one leg, what can you accomplish with two? The leg isn't a burden, it might be a gift. My life is just beginning."

The veteran's first speech last week was a huge success. He developed an instant rapport with students at Maplewood Elementary School in Puyallup, Wash., and even did pushups with four of the kids.

Lychik's ambitions appear to be limitless. In addition to expanding his speech campaign to other schools, he is thinking of running a 100-mile ultramarathon.