Opportunities...

I'll prep you all up front, this post is about mushy touchy feel good stuff concerning people with perceived and real disabilities. That's my disclaimer, not that one is really needed. I came across a story last week that I thought was amazing and added to my already strong hope and faith in good people. It's a story about a teenager with Down syndrome who was simply given various opportunities throughout his life, and the results of being given those opportunities to himself and others (the young man's mother works at my firm in our Philadelphia office, that's how I came across the story). I've attached a link to the Sports Illustrated story, and that's just one of a dozen media stories that have been done on him. The young man's name is Brad Hennefer, and if you have a few minutes I would encourage you to click on this story link and read his story before continuing on (my thoughts for the rest of this post don't make alot of sense outside the context of the story in the link). Here's one other story link from another local media source.

Good stuff, isn't it. Similar to what Coach Valore said in the one story, our family has been very enriched simply having our little Ammon around.

Mixed in with all of the perceived negatives and trials that come with a disabled child, there's alot of good, alot of hope, and alot of blessings. I realize that Ammon might not be a high school basketball star, but I hope to work as hard as I can to give him those opportunities and I am very appreciative of those that do the same. He has successfully grabbed onto so many opportunities already. I think back on some of our initial hopes for him. When he was born there was the possibility that he could not see, but we would hold him and talk to him in the NICU and he would turn his head and look at us. Turns out with some glasses his eyes are fine. You'll remember he completely failed all of his hearing tests, but at home we would call his name out from around the corner or sing a silly song out of eye sight and he would smile. Turns out that his hearing suddenly became fine. You'll remember that he had several holes in his heart when he was born and his pulmonary artery had a thick wall (possible surgery was in the works), but a while before his 1st year birthday the doctor said the holes had disappeared and his heart was fine. His physical abilities continue to improve and I know that he will walk someday. There's a dozen other things I could mention about Ammon, but I imagine that someday he might say to me something like, "Dad, why do you gotta tell people about all that personal stuff" (he will be right, but isn't that a parent's luxury, sort of like showing his baby bath pictures to his first girlfriend). Opportunities sometimes, for some people, take alot of work, maybe even years of work. We'll work as hard as we can to prepare Ammon physically and mentally for those opportunities (I'm positive he's already good to go spiritually); the opportunity to walk, the opportunity to talk and communicate, the opportunity to learn and grow, the opportunity to play catch, to dance, to run, to go on a date, to come with us on a mission. Then we can also hope in good people to help these opportunities be grabbed. I think back again on the quote from Coach Valore:

"It's been a very enriching experience for me, and for everyone who comes in contact with Brad," Valore said. "I think it comes from an understanding as to how hard Brad's worked through this. It's made me a more understanding person, because it's the first opportunity I've had in this situation. Working with Brad, it's enlightened this team and me immensely how a young man can work and overcome adversity. Brad makes everyone around all better people, whether it's during practice or during a game. It is true love."

Coach Valore has it all right. It's not just Ammon that needs to seize opportunities, but because of people like Ammon we all have very special opportunities too.