[blindkid] Dreams really do come true!

[Carol Castellano]

Whoa, Kim, your story gave me goose 
bumps!  Fantastic!  Congratulations to you and to your daughter!
Carol

At 08:20 AM 4/17/2009, you wrote:





>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
>_______________________________________________
>blindkid mailing list
>blindkid at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>for blindkid:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/carol_castellano%40verizon.net