"It was the only thing I've ever quit in my life," Khan says. "It was also the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I stuck with it for two weeks, and I finally said, 'No more.' This is too hard."

For reasons he can't explain — destiny is his best guess — Khan gave wrestling another try as a freshman at MacArthur. The sport was just as grueling as before. But this time Khan refused to give up.

"And I'm glad I didn't," he says.

Two weeks ago, Khan won the Region IV title at 125 pounds. Eager for more, Khan (32-6) looks forward to the UIL State Wrestling Championships, which begin Friday at the Delco Center in Austin.

"Winning regionals was awesome, but I want so much more," he says. "I've overcome everything, and I'm still pushing. I want to be the best in the state."

Although doctors aren't certain, Khan's parents suspect his hearing loss stems from difficulties at birth. Entangled in his umbilical cord, Khan had no vital signs when he was born during an emergency Caesarian section.

Attempting to save his life, doctors administered a paralyzing shot to keep Khan from fighting before placing him on a pressurized respirator.

"The doctors told us that in 99 percent of the cases the babies' lungs explode," says Shaukat Khan, Jon's father.

Khan beat the odds — a precursor of things to come.

His next medical crisis came in early infancy, when spastic fits immobilized the left side of his body. Although therapy solved that problem, Khan's parents began to notice that Jon didn't respond unless he was in visual range. An exam confirmed their fears — Khan had lost up to 96percent of his hearing.

"My heart hurt so badly, I could hardly walk," his father recalls. "I felt like kneeling down and saying, 'Why God? Why my child?'"

Khan's parents immersed him in programs designed to develop his communication skills. The process was long and arduous. Sent to a hearing school, Khan was tormented by classmates who stole his hearing aid and ridiculed the way he spoke.

"There were times in my life I didn't want to live," Khan says. "But it's made me tougher."

Now Khan speaks with nearly flawless pronunciation and tone. His lip-reading skills are so developed that he can understand what a person is saying from a profile angle.

While most hearing-impaired students are at least a year behind their peers academically, Khan carries a 94 average in all his courses.

"He never ceases to amaze me," says his mother, Fran Regan.

Khan even has reached the point where he can joke about his hearing loss. When MacArthur wrestling coach Jerry McHugh assigns extra sprints, Khan often will point to his ears and shrug.

"He just wants to be treated like everyone else," teammate Brandon Armstrong says.

For as long as he can remember, Khan's primary goal has been to live as normal a life as possible. With that goal met, he has shifted his aim even higher.

"I want to be a role model for hearing-impaired people. I want to show that you don't have to exclude them, or limit them or pick on them," he says. "They're regular people who can do everything you do. If I can prove that to everyone I meet, maybe there will be greater acceptance."

By Dan McCarney
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/hssports/stories/MYSA022306.1C.WREmacarthur.khan.173c2d44.html