[blindkid] Dreams really do come true!

Carrie Gilmer carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
Fri Apr 17 23:31:16 UTC 2009


Thank you so much for taking the time to so eloquently share this with us
all Kim. You never know, many of our kids who are growing up normally are
seen out in public and give others new ideas about blindness, maybe Kayleigh
will be spotted by a new parent! You certainly have come full circle and it
fills our hearts with hope and joy. 

I was out with our Saturday group once and a mom actually pulled her car
over, parked, and ran to find out who we were. She wanted her daughter to be
like our kids! That was 18 months ago, and she has been coming to our group
ever since. I know you are changing many lives with your Texas group too.

Tomorrow night my Jordan goes to the Prom. Yes, dreams do come true.

And you really did do it! Way to go Kim!

Much Love, 
 
Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc
-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kim Cunningham
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 7:20 AM
To: Blindkid
Subject: [blindkid] Dreams really do come true!






Good morning all,
I would like to share with you all about what can happen if you chase your
dreams. When my daughter was little, around 3 yrs. old, we took her to
Disneyworld in Florida. I was young with the knowledge of how to parent her.
My life was more consumed with fear of the unknown. How would she do this,
what will happen if she does that, and on and on. While at Disney, I saw a
group of high school aged kids running off to get on a rollercoaster. Amid
this group of kids, I saw a young lady with a cane, just as eager and joyful
as her classmates. No one was holding her hand. No adult was supervising
her. She was just being a typical teenager with a cane. It was a "light bulb
moment" for me. I couldn't contain my smile. It was right then and there
that I decided what I wanted for my daughter. If this young lady can do it,
so can my sweet child. This unknown young lady will never know the impact
she made on our lives. Once my goal was set firmly in mind, I had a
 sense of direction of where to go from there. One moment with such a
powerful impact. 
As I write this morning, I'm happy to say that we have come full circle. My
17 yr. old daughter has traveled to Disney with her school choir. They will
be spending the next 4 days traveling the same path as our unknown friend we
saw when she was young. My dream came true! None of our successes came
easily. It was hard work, but our payoff has been great. I usually volunteer
and chaparone during school functions (I am a stay-at-home mom), but my
daughter informed me that she DID NOT want me to chaparone this trip. She
wanted to hang with her friends and felt confident in her training. I did it
- I really did it! 
I wish all the parents of young blind children the same life experience. Set
you goals high and don't let anyone stand in your way. If your goals are to
feel sorry for your child or to believe your child "can't" or "won't", then
there will be no expectations to fulfill. 
 
Regards,
One Happy Mom - Kim Cunningham
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