Just because one has a disability doesn’t mean that he or she can’t do just about everything that an able-bodied person can do at some capacity. Where there’s a will, and where there’s a heart… there is a way.
Olivia Towles may just be seven years old, but she’s got the spirit and the go-getter attitude of someone much older and wiser. She’s also incredibly brave.
Oliva has gone through her whole life living with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition that stems from damage to the brain that happens before birth. It’s a disorder of movement, muscle tone, and often posture. Muscles can become either stiff or flimsy, and the person often experiences involuntary movement.
People with cerebral palsy also may have difficulty walking, swallowing, speaking, and may have an eye muscle imbalance that makes it difficult for both eyes to focus on the same object at the same time. Seizures and epilepsy are also common for people with cerebral palsy.
Everyone with this disability experiences a different combination of these symptoms, and all to a different degree. Some folks suffer an intellectual deficiency while others are completely unaffected in that department.
Olivia is a bright young girl with a ton of spirit and drive. The Lexington, Kentucky native is an inspiration to folks far and wide.
After singing the National Anthem at an event at her school, she was asked to sing it again and an even bigger event.
The Lexington Legends, the local minor league baseball team, had Oliva come onto the field to start of the evening’s game with an inspiring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
With her mother Courtney there to help physically support her as she stood in front of the microphone, Olivia had no fears. She wasn’t nervous at all! Her mother was more anxious than Olivia was. Can you blame her, though? Any mom would be at least a bit anxious when her baby was performing for a public crowd as big as this.
However, the performance went on without a hitch. Just look at the huge smile on her face!
After the performance, Courtney said that,
“Mainly I hope… that it can teach [other kids with disabilities] that they can be brave too.”
Surely, children with disabilities like Olivia’s will be able to watch this video and think that, yes, they can also do whatever they set their mind to.
What an incredible performance. Olivia is living and breathing proof that no matter what life throws your way, there is a way to overcome the adversity.
Olivia will face a lot of obstacles in her life, unfortunately, but this performance is proof that she has the support system of her family, as well as the positive attitude to help her achieve as much as she wants to.
Have you ever known anyone that’s as inspiring as young Olivia? She is such a light in a world that’s full of darkness. It’s important to support people like her, young and old so that the world can slowly become a better, more accepting place.
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