Read Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs Online
Authors: Jack Canfield
What People Are Saying About
Chicken Soup for the Soul
®
Children with Special Needs
. . .
“This is such an important book! As parents, we need all the love, strength, and support we can get, especially from other parents and families. We are our children’s voices and the world needs to know how dedicated parents are and how hard our children work to overcome such obstacles that we sometimes take for granted.”
Nicole O’Drain
“If this book had been available to me back when our son Gary was born, it would have given me great hope for a happy future for our wonderful son. Families of children with disabilities desperately need validation that their child can function successfully in our society, and lead a productive life. The stories printed here demonstrate just how much is possible with hope, optimism, and faith.”
—Helen Ruvolo
“Thank you for not only addressing this topic but for providing a forum that allows us the opportunity to share our stories and read all the beautiful pieces included in the published edition. Each time I read such stories, they go straight to my heart and always leave a lasting impression; always touching, always spiritually enlightening, always uplifting. Love them!”
—Diane Cassity
“As the founder of Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona, I know that Down syndrome is the most common genetic birth defect. There will be countless parents who will love this book. Most parents’ hearts feel broken when hearing what feels like the hardest news ever about their newborn or unborn baby. This book will bring more comfort than you can ever imagine.”
—Gina Johnson
“When I was pregnant, all I could find was books that told me the bad, unhappy things that were in store for me. I wish I would have had a book that would have given me hope for a happy life. But of course, no one could have prepared me for the amount of joy I receive from my daughter daily.”
—Carolyn A. Kenney
“The need for such a book is long overdue. The challenges of my son’s autism have made me aware of how much work goes into not only loving him, but also appreciating his uniqueness. We need to know that others support us, whether through words that embrace the core of our struggles, or through a simple smile of understanding at the grocery store. We need avenues to express our joy, vent our frustrations, and share our triumphs.”
—Brenda Williams
“Our family is quite grateful for this project and the awareness it will create for these fantastic children. Our children have broadened and enriched our lives greatly and perhaps this book will give many others a little ‘taste’ of our joy.”
—John Bolton
“Chicken Soup for the Soul will provoke a better understanding of individuals with different abilities. I wish I had this book when I taught special education.”
Joey Travolta
Director, Inclusion Films
“Reading these stories has been a great experience for me. I work for an agency that provides services for people with disabilities and sometimes feel disconnected from our agency’s mission. This has helped me feel a stronger connection to my work place. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share in other people’s lives, to hear their dreams and hopes, triumphs and sorrows. It has been an honor.”
—Patty Dobbins
“I wish I could write each and every person to thank them for their stories. They have kept me smiling and sane through an international move, trying to readjust to life in the states and starting a new job. It’s been a busy couple of months, and I’m not sure I could have done it without the laughter and the tears from reading these stories.”
—Heather Minnick
CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE SOUL
®
CHILDREN WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS
Stories of Love and Understanding for Those
Who Care for Children with Disabilities
Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Heather McNamara
Karen Simmons
www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chicken soup for the soul : children with special needs / Jack Canfield . . .
[et al.].
p. cm.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9854-4 (ebook) eISBN-13: 0-7573-9854-5 (ebook)
1. Children with disabilities. I. Canfield, Jack, 1944-
HV888.C475 2007
362.4083—dc22
2007020388
© 2007 John T. Canfield and Hansen and Hansen LLC
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: | Health Communications, Inc. |
3201 S.W. 15th Street | |
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442–8190 |
R-05-08
Cover photo ©Wolfgang Weinhäupl,
topimages.com
Cover design and interior formatting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield
T
his book is dedicated to
everyone involved in the life of
a growing child.
We also dedicate this book to our own children
who have helped us grow as people.
Contents
See Me
Melissa Riggio as told to Rachel Buchholz
Welcome to Holland
Emily Perl Kingsley
In the Game
Reverend Johnny Wray as told to Stephanie Welcher Thompson
A Message from John
Jo Clancy
The Miracle of Jay-Jay
Louise Tucker Jones
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Sarah and MMC John S. Smigal
Tomorrow
Jill Presson
No Words
Stacey Flood
Seeing Through Josh’s Eyes
Deborah Rose
The Voice of Reason Wears SpongeBob Underpants
Shari Youngblood
One Mother to Another
Donna Turenne
Reaching Back
Pam Wilson
A Reason to Celebrate
Janet Lynn Mitchell
My Finest Teachers
Gina Johnson
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Cheryl Kremer
The Vacation
Michelle M. Guppy
What They Forgot to Mention
Sandy Sotzen
Is That All?
PeggySue Wells
The Little Boy Who Waves
Michelle M. Guppy
All She Has
Connie Ellison
One Brief Hour
Suzanne Woods Fisher
The Gift
Jeffrey J. Cain, M.D.
I Won’t Do It
Nanette Whitman-Holmes
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Jimmy Hinkley
McBuns!
Trisha Kay Kayden
Challenges
Mary Mooney
What’s the Truth About Thomas?
Laura Dean as told to Jeanne Pallos
Kids Amaze Me
Chynna Laird
A Whale of a Time
Michelle Ward
Talking to Strangers
Jennifer Lawler
On the Inside
Susan Farr-Fahncke
Broken-Down Signs
Scott Newport
Broken Shells
Debbie Jaskot
Dancing with Myself
Stephanie Welcher Thompson