This young man named Dugan Smith from Ohio is an inspiration to say the least.

Not only is he an example of perseverance in the face of adversity, but his love of the game of baseball and what he was willing to do in order to play it is amazing.

There are links below to help tell his story.  I hope you find it as uplifting as I did.

Yahoo Sports "ThePostGame"  has more. 

images.thepostgame.com

CLICK HERE to read more and an additional VIDEO

I loved the wrap-up of the story:

Dugan is now 13. He's a member of his junior high school baseball team. And he's not a DH or a pinch-hitter. He pitches. He plays first base. And he has a regular spot in the lineup. It's been that way for more than a year now.

Yes, he limps noticeably. His left leg is designed to be longer so his right leg can grow to match it.

Most teens and adults would have just gone with a traditional amputation. Mayerson, the surgeon at Ohio State Medical Center, is considered an expert in rotationplasty and he's only done three. But Dugan is a special case, and a special kid.

"The reason we do these is for a very young child who has a lot of growing to do," says Mayerson. "Dugan was perfect. His dream was to play baseball. He said, 'Do whatever you need to do, but I need to play baseball.'"

Dugan's chances of recurrence are slim. The cancer is out. The bat is back in the boy's hands.

And now Dugan has another dream.

He wants to play football.

(If this should have been a FanShot, I apologize. I thought since it included video and images this was the proper format.)