A friend from Leadership McLean County invited me to sit in on a "VIP" lunch as Easter Seals kicks off its local fund raising drive for $225,000, culminating with a phone-a-thon in May. These lunches function like in-person infomercials - the food is free, the stories are compelling. National examples are here:
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_stories_of_hope
Today we heard the story of a boy who was born with "brain bleed" which included symptoms of extreme sensitivity to light, touch and sound. At 18 months he still wasn't talking or communicating verbally at all. They brought him to Easter Seals, and their therapist brought him to the point where he finally had a breakthrough - his mom choked up while describing the surge of emotion that she felt the first time he called her "Mom," and learned to say "love you." Other therapists were added, as life dealt him more cruel blows like epilepsy and eating problems. And yet, there he stood as quietly as could be while Mom told the story, looking as healthy as a normal 3-year old.
I may not be a VIP, but I sure felt crazily fortunate and humbled to watch and listen to this story of courage and the kindness of humanity working together!
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