Overcoming Challenges As They Move On

Over the next month, family and friends from all over this great nation will come together to celebrate the graduation of their children or grandchildren from schools at various levels of education. The smiles will extend from ear to ear, and the celebrations will spread over many days.

Since moving to Marco in 1990 full-time, I’ve had the privilege to come to know many families and to watch the creation of many more. Many of them have watched their children graduate and move on to seek higher educational opportunities to the adulation of all concerned.

A few of those families took on the challenges of children who struggled with a number of physical and developmental issues but rose to the challenges and did an outstanding job of graduating young adults who have excellent futures ahead of them.

A similar challenge was presented to Dave and Liz, a couple from New Hampshire, who over the last thirty-seven years, have become great friends. He is a younger fraternity brother of mine from college, and she is a successful professional photographer.

Their third daughter, Amanda, was born with Cerebral Palsy approximately twenty-seven years ago; a diagnosis which came with fear, anxiety and confusion. Doctors originally gave the parents a pretty bleak assessment of their daughter’s future, but they wouldn’t accept it. They wanted this little girl to have all the opportunities and potential for a bright future that her two older sisters had.

In a conversation with the family one evening over the phone, I learned about a flood that occurred in their home when a water pipe broke. When a water pipe ruptures in February in New Hampshire and you’re not at home, you have a recipe for disaster. They had been staying in the White Mountains for a little family fun, returning home to a terrible mess, requiring them to embark on approximately 60 days’ worth of renovations.

In talking with Dave over the phone, I suggested that Liz and Amanda come south and spend some of that time in the warmth of South Florida. He originally said no, he didn’t want to inconvenience me.  Then through the receiver of the phone came the sound of a slap; it was Liz giving him a “slight” tap to the back of his head for saying no and telling him to get off the phone so she could make flight arrangements.

It is very difficult getting the exercise necessary to work on stiff muscles and joints in the winter in the Northeast. The rays of the sun and warmth of the waters of the pool soon helped a little girl begin to come into her own here on Marco.

Amanda had a walker, which she hated. However, the encouragement of the treat of ice cream at what would become her favorite ice cream shop on the island, along with the award that would come from seeing her smiling face rolling through the door to see the shopkeeper was enough to light up an entire city block.

Soon she would be scooting everywhere, strengthening the muscles in her legs, improving her balance and gaining the coordination that many of the professionals doubted she would ever obtain. She even became a bit of a tadpole in the pool, just loving the water and getting the exercise she so greatly needed as a bonus.

Everyone quickly gravitated towards her magnetic smile and personality, and in the weeks to come you couldn’t help but see the difference. It was the start of a wonderful new beginning to what would become the rebirth of a beautiful young lady who, over time, would walk with her classmates as they became the proud graduates of the Class of 2014 from high school.

The warm sands of Marco, the tropical waters, friendly faces, and great ice cream treats that served as her reward at the end of the day provided the foundation of what has become the accomplished young lady we know today.

Through the marvels of today’s technology, I got to witness this beautiful young girl, along with her friends and classmates, rejoicing in this the first of many accomplishments that will await her in life. Through the camera, I also got to see her grandparents, parents, sisters, uncles, aunts and nieces beaming with additional pride as this beautiful butterfly would spread her wings and fly high.

She would go on to attend college and graduate, receiving a B.S. degree. Since then, she has also entered the workplace, demonstrating her talents and abilities. I am so proud of her and equally proud of her parents, relatives and friends who helped make this possible.

Still, the challenges that lie before this next generation of Americans will be substantial, as we are not leaving them a perfect world by any means. Just like Amanda, they are the key to making this world a better place, not only for your generation but for generations yet to come. Your journeys have not ended but have only begun, and we wish you God’s speed on accomplishing what lies ahead of you.