"At The Core Design Challenge" at Element14 has been inspiring and motivating.

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you my personal experience with the "design challenge" of this community.

In November last year I decided to apply for the "At The Core Design Challenge" because it represented a challenge for me in many ways.

I didn't know the Infineon family ofy microcontrollers, so the first technical aspect to deal with was the self-learning process of a new system, even if I already knew the Arm technology. As well as writing a blog to convey the learning process as best as possible so that it could be useful to other users.

Another more delicate technical aspect was represented by the fact of wanting to achieve a specific result to push the Board not originally designed for that purpose to the limit. The creation of a Game Console Emulator from the 80s was a great example, very challenging but also fun.

Another critical aspect was the two months time available for delivery. To tell the truth, I set myself a titanic challenge, but in the end the hard work, the enthusiasm and the commitment rewarded me with the victory of first place. I'll also explain the motivation that pushed mioe into this project and I hope it can be understood and helpful to all of you.

Ten years ago, following physical symptoms, I was diagnosed with a rare congenital disease that causes spinal cord degeneration. I found myself quitting my job as a 3D graphic programmer because my right side is undergoing slow paralysis. I've nevenr felt sorry for myself and my pride prompted me to try to maintain my autonomy so as not to be a burden.

Last year, after several falls, my morale was broken and fate wanted to offer me the opportunity to put myself on the line to prove to myself that I could still do something, give something and still be good at something. I applied the challenge without saying anything about my situation, I committed myself and it was difficult to get to the end, but efforts have given the result I needed. If you want something you have to fight for it but if you put passion into it everything you gave will come back.

I learned to share and not to be ashamed to ask for help. Now with more enthusiasm in life, thanks to this experience in the Element14 community, I have decided to embark on a path that will challenge me with a delicate brain surgery that will hopefully halt or at least slow down the progress of the disease as much as possible. And so, after asking the permission to the moderators, I decided to share with you the fundraising campaign that my wife created to pay the medical bills for this surgery that I will be doing as soon as possible in the United States.

www.gofundme.com/.../GoFundFrancesco

If I have managed to convey a positive and hopeful signal, I ask you to spread the link, also as a motivational source.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, never give up.

ClarkJarvis-Infineon