well thank you for those words drawn I feel really pleasured and pleased to
I feel really pleasured and pleased to
I feel really pleasured and pleased to be with you
be with you
be with you today all of you and thank you for being
today all of you and thank you for being
today all of you and thank you for being here thank you were sharing a time and
here thank you were sharing a time and
here thank you were sharing a time and thank you for allowing me to talk to you
thank you for allowing me to talk to you
thank you for allowing me to talk to you today I would like you all to take a
today I would like you all to take a
today I would like you all to take a moment to picture this a 27 week old
moment to picture this a 27 week old
moment to picture this a 27 week old baby girl has just been born
baby girl has just been born
baby girl has just been born she sure has she is shown to her father
she sure has she is shown to her father
she sure has she is shown to her father then to her mother and taken to the a
then to her mother and taken to the a
then to her mother and taken to the a nice and ICU because her lungs aren’t
nice and ICU because her lungs aren’t
nice and ICU because her lungs aren’t developed and she can’t breathe it’s
developed and she can’t breathe it’s
developed and she can’t breathe it’s uncertain whether she’ll survive the
uncertain whether she’ll survive the
uncertain whether she’ll survive the night it’s uncertain whether she’ll live
night it’s uncertain whether she’ll live
night it’s uncertain whether she’ll live at all but of course she does a year
at all but of course she does a year
at all but of course she does a year passes her parents notice she’s noticed
passes her parents notice she’s noticed
passes her parents notice she’s noticed she’s not developing as she should they
she’s not developing as she should they
she’s not developing as she should they put her into therapy like a year passes
put her into therapy like a year passes
put her into therapy like a year passes and no progress is made hardly any on
and no progress is made hardly any on
and no progress is made hardly any on their own they try to find they try to
their own they try to find they try to
their own they try to find they try to find out all they possibly can to figure
find out all they possibly can to figure
find out all they possibly can to figure out what’s going on with with their
out what’s going on with with their
out what’s going on with with their daughter this shouldn’t be happening and
daughter this shouldn’t be happening and
daughter this shouldn’t be happening and they
and they come to the realization that
and they come to the realization that come to the realization that she has
come to the realization that she has
come to the realization that she has cerebral palsy CP the diagnosis is
cerebral palsy CP the diagnosis is
cerebral palsy CP the diagnosis is serious it is real
serious it is real
serious it is real it’s quadriplegic she is they are told
it’s quadriplegic she is they are told
it’s quadriplegic she is they are told there are no expectations absolutely
there are no expectations absolutely
there are no expectations absolutely none but from the beginning neither the
none but from the beginning neither the
none but from the beginning neither the prognosis
prognosis
prognosis neither the diagnosis nor the prognosis
neither the diagnosis nor the prognosis
neither the diagnosis nor the prognosis stopped the parents from giving the
stopped the parents from giving the
stopped the parents from giving the daughter every thing everything that we
daughter every thing everything that we
daughter every thing everything that we that we deserve as human beings they
that we deserve as human beings they
that we deserve as human beings they gave everything to her that she could
gave everything to her that she could
gave everything to her that she could possibly need to live as a human being
possibly need to live as a human being
possibly need to live as a human being because they saw in her eyes and her
because they saw in her eyes and her
because they saw in her eyes and her smile the spark and life that we have
smile the spark and life that we have
smile the spark and life that we have when we are first born they saw that
when we are first born they saw that
when we are first born they saw that potential and they went with it what
potential and they went with it what
potential and they went with it what they saw was nothing more than what we
they saw was nothing more than what we
they saw was nothing more than what we all have pure potential they use the
all have pure potential they use the
all have pure potential they use the date untap they attacked it and they
date untap they attacked it and they
date untap they attacked it and they made a future where there would where
made a future where there would where
made a future where there would where there was none when there should have
there was none when there should have
there was none when there should have been none from the beginning there was
been none from the beginning there was
been none from the beginning there was no there was there was absolute belief
no there was there was absolute belief
no there was there was absolute belief that this child would turn out as they
that this child would turn out as they
that this child would turn out as they had hoped there was no doubt that this
had hoped there was no doubt that this
had hoped there was no doubt that this child would become the woman you see
child would become the woman you see
child would become the woman you see before you today
before you today
before you today the woman that they have that my parents
the woman that they have that my parents
the woman that they have that my parents have made me is all because of potential
have made me is all because of potential
have made me is all because of potential and the belief that potential is all we
and the belief that potential is all we
and the belief that potential is all we have to work with it’s not about
have to work with it’s not about
have to work with it’s not about limitation is not about disability it’s
limitation is not about disability it’s
limitation is not about disability it’s not about putting putting caps on
not about putting putting caps on
not about putting putting caps on yourself putting lids on potential it’s
yourself putting lids on potential it’s
yourself putting lids on potential it’s all about embracing
all about embracing
all about embracing change and embracing the change that we
change and embracing the change that we
change and embracing the change that we have to have our our lives be completely
have to have our our lives be completely
have to have our our lives be completely be completely different than what they
be completely different than what they
be completely different than what they could be or what they should have been
could be or what they should have been
could be or what they should have been in in my life I have learned a very
in in my life I have learned a very
in in my life I have learned a very simple but powerful truth life is
simple but powerful truth life is
simple but powerful truth life is difficult but when you don’t accept that
difficult but when you don’t accept that
difficult but when you don’t accept that life is difficult life becomes
life is difficult life becomes
life is difficult life becomes impossible that’s the first noble truth
impossible that’s the first noble truth
impossible that’s the first noble truth that the Buddha taught back in 600 BC
that the Buddha taught back in 600 BC
that the Buddha taught back in 600 BC and that truth has stuck with me from
and that truth has stuck with me from
and that truth has stuck with me from the beginning of my life to the be get
the beginning of my life to the be get
the beginning of my life to the be get into the to the current day to the
into the to the current day to the
into the to the current day to the current time that we have that we are
current time that we have that we are
current time that we have that we are sitting here today listening to this
sitting here today listening to this
sitting here today listening to this truth again and for me it’s all about
truth again and for me it’s all about
truth again and for me it’s all about community community is nothing more nor
community community is nothing more nor
community community is nothing more nor nothing less then all the people we
nothing less then all the people we
nothing less then all the people we connected to in our lives and are
connected to in our lives and are
connected to in our lives and are connected to community doesn’t stop
connected to community doesn’t stop
connected to community doesn’t stop within the neighborhood neighborhood it
within the neighborhood neighborhood it
within the neighborhood neighborhood it doesn’t stop with social media it goes
doesn’t stop with social media it goes
doesn’t stop with social media it goes on with with every person we touch and
on with with every person we touch and
on with with every person we touch and every person we touch is impacted by the
every person we touch is impacted by the
every person we touch is impacted by the voice we have by the way we treat them
voice we have by the way we treat them
voice we have by the way we treat them by the way we embrace life by the way
by the way we embrace life by the way
by the way we embrace life by the way that they embraced us and our community
that they embraced us and our community
that they embraced us and our community goes beyond goes beyond family it goes
goes beyond goes beyond family it goes
goes beyond goes beyond family it goes beyond friends it goes beyond every
beyond friends it goes beyond every
beyond friends it goes beyond every single every single boundary that we can
single every single boundary that we can
single every single boundary that we can possibly think of and for me what
possibly think of and for me what
possibly think of and for me what happens with that is absolutely
happens with that is absolutely
happens with that is absolutely absolutely magical when you do not
absolutely magical when you do not
absolutely magical when you do not embrace when you do not see boundaries
embrace when you do not see boundaries
embrace when you do not see boundaries there are none when you do not see
there are none when you do not see
there are none when you do not see boundaries you can make new
boundaries you can make new
boundaries you can make new possibilities and for me all that all
possibilities and for me all that all
possibilities and for me all that all the boundaries that exist in the world
the boundaries that exist in the world
the boundaries that exist in the world our just physical this chair is not even
our just physical this chair is not even
our just physical this chair is not even is real right
is real right
is real right but this chair is just only as real as
but this chair is just only as real as
but this chair is just only as real as you think of it as you think of it to be
you think of it as you think of it to be
you think of it as you think of it to be for me it’s not about being bound to a
for me it’s not about being bound to a
for me it’s not about being bound to a wilter it’s not about being restricted
wilter it’s not about being restricted
wilter it’s not about being restricted it’s about having a freedom that I
it’s about having a freedom that I
it’s about having a freedom that I otherwise would not have had I otherwise
otherwise would not have had I otherwise
otherwise would not have had I otherwise would not have had the freedom to move
would not have had the freedom to move
would not have had the freedom to move around nor the freedom to act it’s about
around nor the freedom to act it’s about
around nor the freedom to act it’s about freedom life is about freedom all life
freedom life is about freedom all life
freedom life is about freedom all life all community all connection is about
all community all connection is about
all community all connection is about taking that freedom and going forward
taking that freedom and going forward
taking that freedom and going forward with it if I could change if I could
with it if I could change if I could
with it if I could change if I could make a difference why can’t we all make
make a difference why can’t we all make
make a difference why can’t we all make a difference why can we all tear down
a difference why can we all tear down
a difference why can we all tear down bridges and tear down walls and build
bridges and tear down walls and build
bridges and tear down walls and build bridges instead why can’t we all make a
bridges instead why can’t we all make a
bridges instead why can’t we all make a change to change our lives to transform
change to change our lives to transform
change to change our lives to transform them that’s the message I want to leave
them that’s the message I want to leave
them that’s the message I want to leave you with and that’s the message you
you with and that’s the message you
you with and that’s the message you deserve to hear because you can make a
deserve to hear because you can make a
deserve to hear because you can make a mark on the world and live your life in
mark on the world and live your life in
mark on the world and live your life in the limits thank you
the limits thank you
the limits thank you [Applause]
”
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