BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- For the 20-year-old Guo Yandong, life seemed to end where it has just begun when he lost both legs in a fall-off accident two years ago, but his later wheelchair basketball story was a testimony that destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.

    Guo, who used to be a migrant worker in Beijing, is competing with the Chinese national wheelchair basketball team in a test event for the Beijing Paralympic Olympic Games in September.

    "I cannot live without basketball. I want to see how much I can do in the sport," said a suntanned Guo, whose team lost to Australia 52-24 in the semifinals of the Wheelchair Basketball International Invitation Tournament on Thursday.

    "When the team takes a holiday, I can't help thinking about coming back to see my teammates and to play again."

    Guo, who started to play wheelchair basketball with a Beijing team, came in spotlight by leading the team all the way to the top at last year's National Games for People with Disabilities, in which he averaged about 20 points.

    Guo's amazing skills earned him a call-up to the national team which is shaping up for the Paralympics. On the day an official notice reached him, Guo was so excited that he didn't sleep a wink that night.

    "Basketball is a consolation, which helps me forget my tragedy and the lawsuit I am fighting," he said.

    A poor farmer from Suqian in eastern China's Jiangsu province, Guo quitted middle school and moved to Beijing in 2005 to "seek a fortune", as he put it. He landed a job as a painter on a building site.

    Fortune, however, did not smile on him. A fatal ninth-story fall drove him to the abyss of despair. It was a miracle he did not die, doctors said later.

    Languishing in the hospital ward, the then 17-year-old was thinking about ending his own life.

    "I don't feel anything below my chest. I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I don't think I can make it, and I don't want to live anymore," Guo recalled his despair.

    His suicide attempt was stopped by his father.

    It was in the China Rehabilitation Research Center where he started to open his mind. Like the hospital, the center could do nothing to his legs, but the rehab programs turned him into one ofthe most upbeat and positive patients there.

    "I don't want to be a miserable whiner and I just want my life back," he said.

    The contractor had paid for his surgeries worth of 100,000 yuan(13,870 U.S. dollars) but refused to pay more for the rehabs.

    After being discharged from the center for failing to pay the bill, Guo filed a lawsuit against the contractor, who was ordered by the court to provide 240,000 yuan (33,300 U.S. dollars) as compensation.

    But last December the contractor closed up its business and disappeared.

    "It's never been easy for a kid who plays basketball and fights a legal battle at the same time," said Yu Yuansheng, head coach of the Chinese wheelchair basketball team.

    "He is only 20, but he's been through a lot," added the coach.

    As an optimist, Guo has found the most unusual joy in playing basketball.

    Guo made his national team debut on Tuesday when China took on Paralympic champions Canada. The youngest and shortest lad of the 12-member team was sent on court in the fourth quarter and was the leading scorer of the quarter by notching up six points.

    "It is the first time we played against one of the European and North American powerhouses, the result is not that bad," Yu said of the 69-47 loss to Canada.

    "Guo is the youngest of the team, but he doesn't have cold feet," said Coach Yu.

    "Although Guo was not physically strong, his agility, speed and shooting precision are what we need," Yu said, adding that he will plan more strategies for the quick winger.

    "The tournament features the top three in Athens Paralympics, and their skills are beautiful," said Guo, who had been introduced to Team Beijing in 2006 by a doctor in the rehabs center .paraplegic

    "I never feel pressure. I feel excited to compete with strong players. I want to score some nice shots," added Guo.

    As the second worst disabled player in the national team, Guo has to compete and train wearing a diaper.

    Earning a monthly salary of 300 yuan in the team, Guo and his family can barely make ends meet under an avalanche of debts owed to the center. His father had to return to their home village to earn more bread as a plasterer.

    "Let's see how far we can reach in the court, but it truly won't get on my nerves anymore. After all, living in a good mood and playing basketball is more important to me."

    The high-spirited Guo has had a plan for his future.

    "I want to be a typist or a professional wheelchair basketball player abroad," he said.