I had the honor of speaking to Tiara's mother, a woman who has firm beliefs and is willing to fight on her daughter's behalf. She shared with me Tiara's amazing story, one that I am going to share with you now.
At the age of 17, Tiara was involved in a devastating motor-vehicle accident. She sustained major head trauma that left her close to death. When she arrived at the hospital, the diagnosis was that she would not survive.
However, Tiara pulled through, and will be graduating high school next week, a feat that shocked the doctors who treated her after the accident. With the help of her highschool, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, Tiara has been able to steadily progress.
Imagine what amazing progress she can make if she is able to continue her therapies. She is a fighter, who will be able to achieve great things if she has the tools necessary to progress.
We need to End The Wait Now, so Tiara has the opportunity to reach her full potential.
I am in the same class and had the privilege of speaking with Ofek's mother, Michelle. She, too, had inspiring and amazing stories to share.
ReplyDeleteOfek was born with a rare form of muscular atrophy and was not expected to live past the age of one. Thanks to steadfast care from Johns Hopkins hospital and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Ofek is now a thriving 18-year-old college student at UMBC. O, as he known by family and friends, was in the National Honor Society and French National Honor Society in high school, graduated with a stellar 3.8 GPA, and managed to teach himself numerous computer programming languages. In addition, Ofek enjoys playing chess competitively and has won tournaments in his hometown. His goal is to graduate from UMBC with a degree in computer science and go on to work for the NSA. When asked about disability, Ofek declares that his disabilities are everything but his abilities. Truly, he is a singularly accomplished person despite any physical limitations.
Michelle deserves recognition for her efforts, as well. Working part-time at Barnes and Noble to support her family, Michelle is the primary caretaker for Ofek. In addition to helping her son, Michelle strives to help other families in similar situations by driving to Annapolis every Wednesday to persuade Maryland delegates to increase funding for the Waiting List. Having met her in person, I can say that never before have I seen a more dedicated mother.
Ofek and Michelle have demonstrated their potential and will continue to do so if the Waiting List is ended. I urge you to help End the Wait Now, the future of thousands of families depends on it.
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