A valuable lesson from a 7-year-old

KSDK -- Kids look at life a little differently, I mean something as simple as a fan is fun. However, this particular kid smiles constantly.

Sure you've met happy kids before, but none like Cody McCasland, a little guy who's not scared of anything.

"Except roller coasters," Cody corrects me.

Okay minus that, but Cody's conquered much bigger bumps in the road.

"Well, when I was born I was missing the tibia or fibula. So they had to amputate me and they gave me these legs," Cody says with a big smile.

He makes it sound rather simple, his mom remembers things a little differently.

"They told my husband that he needed to prepare for Cody to die, he wasn't going to make it. He comes in and tells me and I'm like no they're wrong," Tina, Cody's mom, explains.

About 17 surgeries later Cody was going strong, but there was still that problem with his legs.

"That first month was just utter disbelief that they would cut a child's legs off. You can't imagine that they would do that," Tina says.

Of course, Cody doesn't see his lack of legs as a problem at all.

"I swim, I have a racing chair and I play sled hockey.

He also runs.

"I like these legs because I can bounce and bounce and bounce and bounce," Cody says as he demonstrates the bouncing.

Maybe it's the legs or maybe it's the sugar.

"Well, it helps me go fast," Cody says trying to defend his sugar intake.

But most importantly what Cody does is inspire everyone he meets whether they have legs or not.

"In September of this last fall he was on the tractor and fell and when he fell he got sucked under the brush hog," Michelle Newman says explaining her 4 year-old's accident.

Cody meets and plays with kids like Colton Newman.

"He's only had his legs for two months pretty soon he'll get stubbies and running legs, but first we start off at walking legs," Cody explains what Colton will go through.

He also visits soldiers who are returning from the war.

"Well, when they come back from war sometimes they lost their legs, so the Challenged Athletes Foundation sends me out there and I tell them about my legs," Cody adds.

"It not only makes me proud, but that he's doing such much good in this world that I cannot do as good as he does and it makes me want to be a better person," Cody's mom says.

So he might be only seven years old, but he's off to a great start when it comes to making a huge difference in the world.