By Elizabeth Brown

I personally think all newspapers need GOOD stories. We as a society are accustom to hearing the negative and sad stories, so it is refreshing when a positive one comes along. So here’s our positive story for the week:

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a little girl, I should say, young lady who totally touched my heart. This child has been through more in her lifetime than any of us should ever have to experience. Through it all she remains with a very positive attitude and a love for life. You see, she was born with a crippling disease and has had to undergo many surgeries and painful therapy sessions. Due to circumstances, she has been unable to attend school on a regular basis, until this year.

Thanks to the help of our school superintendent, the school board, and many other caring professionals, she is now enrolled in the third grade at Dover Intermediate School.

This was not an easy undertaking, but from what I am told it was a project that

was embarked upon with a willingness and great attitude by many people in the district.

The child is highly allergic to any products, which are made with latex. The school took care of this by doing little things like changing the gloves that the custodians wear to latex free and also the mouse pads in the computer lab. The classroom teacher showed her willingness to help by rearranging the classroom setting so that the wheelchair was more accessible and also by just being open to change.

Through the purchase of equipment and the building of some ramps, she is now able to go out to recess, go to the lunchroom, music and her favorite, PE. “It’s like Christmas, everyday,” she said.

Through all the efforts of many people this child is now able to attend school like a normal child. “One of the worst memories of my child’s first years in school, was that she was not able to go out to the playground with her friends. “Now she is able to go on the playground and participate,” said Mom. In fact, during a recent chat, she told me that her favorite thing to do in school is to “run, skip and jump,” and her favorite subject is PE.

“I can not say enough about the wonderful staff at Dover Intermediate,” said Mom. “They have made my daughter’s dreams come true.”

This child does not focus on her disabilities, but on her abilities and believe me, she has many!