This is in response to an article published Aug. 28 about an ordinary 12-year-old from Louisiana named Devin Funck. He was spending an ordinary afternoon by the lake near his house with his friends. Then, in a split second, he was grabbed by a 500-pound alligator, which ripped off and ate Funck’s left arm.

His immediate reaction was, “Get me a robot arm that looks like the Terminator.”

He never lost confidence in himself or let anyone see he was down. That is pretty amazing.

People could take a lesson from Funck. Even though he lost his arm, he never showed signs of unhappiness. He remained full of life, looking at things from an optimist’s viewpoint; making the best of the situation.

I believe he wanted to make things seem not as bad as they could be for him. I believe he will continue to heal and be optimistic about the situation.

It isn’t easy to look at things the way he does. He took on his tragedy with a phenomenal attitude, always looking at the brighter side. With that kind of attitude, he could do anything. With that kind of attitude, dealing with a mechanical arm will be a lot more simple than it would be for most people.

Funck’s message is to always look at the bright side of everything. Be an optimist, not a pessimist.

Congratulations to Funck for dealing with his situation in such a phenomenal way. He is one amazing person.

Sean Gordon