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Rodeo rider Ruff is SFU's Terry Fox medallist

A rodeo rider who was blinded in one eye after he was bucked off his horse 10 years ago was awarded with a 2011 Terry Fox gold medal Wednesday at Simon Fraser University.

A rodeo rider who was blinded in one eye after he was bucked off his horse 10 years ago was awarded with a 2011 Terry Fox gold medal Wednesday at Simon Fraser University.

SFU kinesiology student Casey Ruff received the honour at the Burnaby campus in recognition of the obstacles he overcame and his achievements.

In 2001, Ruff's face was crushed by a horse's hoof, which caused him to be blinded in his right eye and required major reconstructive surgery to rebuild his nose, cheek and eye socket.

But the physical scars were nothing compared with the abuse he suffered as a toddler: He sustained a succession of brain injuries from an assault by his biological father, according to SFU press release, and that incident left him with learning disabilities. At the age of 14, his mother abandoned her three sons and Ruff and his brothers were left to fend for themselves.

Ruff, a Calgary native, managed to finish high school and get a job as a horse wrangler, which led to a career on the rodeo circuit.

While at SFU, he was tested for disabilities in processing information, reading, expression and math; the diagnosis eventually qualified him for government services such as computer software to help him with his studies.

The 32-year-old married father of two, who now lives on campus, has an almost straight-A average and volunteers as an athletic trainer.

"The most important thing I have gathered from my challenges is to persevere," he said in the SFU press release. "Because in the end, I am who I choose to be - either a bitter and beaten man or an accomplished one."