A Topsy Turvy Week Indeed!

Azwan and "Auntie Izzy"

The last week has been one of those topsy turvy weeks. I invited Azwan to stay with us for a few days. We went to the asylum office to check on his status, ate a nice lunch, and then went downtown to the National Air & Space Museum..

[Thank you to all the staff at the asylum office in Arlington, VA! We love you!! You were so patient and kind to us!!]






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Commander William "Willie" McCool - Pilot, Space Shuttle Columbia

One of the Air & Space exhibits includes a display honoring the lives lost in the space shuttle Columbia. I took a photo of the display because Commander William "Willie" McCool's information was included. I had the privilege of having lunch with his father, Barent, last year at a National Institutes of Health event. He gave me a detailed account of the day the shuttle broke up during re-entry and all of the amazing people who intervened to help him get to NASA and deal with the media.

Commander William C. McCool
1961-2003



Barent McCool unbuttoning his sleeve to
show me his Marine Corps tattoo!


Barent McCool is a fellow Marine who served during the Vietnam war. On Veterans Day, I thought of Barent, his military Service, and his son's. I will never forget his Service and his son's bravery. Semper Fi Barent!! God Bless You & Your Family!!!








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Azwan pointing to his home

There were lots of amazing exhibits at the Air & Space museum. My favorite activity at the museum is the planetarium. Azwan thoroughly enjoyed learning about the stars and planets but I think his favorite activity was in Moving Beyond Earth where there is a Google Earth station and visitors can explore earth, the moon or mars in an immersive interactive display.  With relative ease Azwan was able to drill down to find his home in the village he came from in northern Iraq. The technology was amazing!! I could see Azwan was thrilled to find his home but I couldn't help but feel sad that it may be several years before he can ever return to his village and see his family and friends again. As an immigrant myself, I understand the heartbreak that comes from leaving your home and people you are close to. I was fortunate that I came to the U.S. with my parents. Azwan is fortunate that technology allows him to speak often with his family via Skype but it's not the same. I know his mother worries about him but hopefully it will give her some peace of mind knowing that he has friends, like Brad and I, who are here to help him and care about him. 

Azwan is an amazing mature young man who will persevere and be successful in any endeavor. As a teenager, he assisted Brad with wheelchair distributions in Iraq and worked at an English school. I look forward to watching Azwan flourish in America. We are all praying that he will be granted asylum. Your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated!!

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CRPD Work..

On Veteran's Day, I presented at the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) annual conference with Dr. Patricia Morrissey and Andrea Shettle. Pat is the President of the U.S. International Council on Disabilities and Andrea is a program manager in the same organization.  The title of our presentation was "The Use of Social Media to Promote the Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." Pat spoke about her very successful blog and book; Andrea addressed the USICD's social media efforts, and provided valuable social media tips; and I spoke about my CRPD Facebook page that has over 10, 670 Likes (demographics, lessons learned, etc). The room wasn't packed but the feedback we received was excellent. If you work in the disability field, or you're a parent or advocate, then I highly recommend the AUCD conference. Please contact me if you would like to receive a copy of our presentation. Your calls to your State Senators and to Senator Harry Reid asking for a Senate vote soon to ratify the CRPD would be appreciated!

Izzy and Dr. Shriver

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One last highlight from last week..

On November 13th, I finished work and drove to Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, DC, to attend Dr. Timothy Shriver's book signing for his new book Fully Alive.  It was horribly cold outside and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to drive in the dark to an unfamiliar area when it was raining. But, life is always an adventure, right?!

I got to the book signing before anyone had arrived, purchased 5 copies of the book, and went downstairs to enjoy a grilled cheese sammy, and a cup of coffee. I have the book on Kindle and had started reading it when it was released earlier in the week. I was working my way through chapter 4 in one of the hard copies I just purchased and was reading about his Aunt Rosemary who had a developmental disability and was the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy. I could understand why Rosemary influenced so many members of her family. I could relate because of how my own son has influenced so many..

I was also Tweeting about being at the event, sharing photos, quotes, etc. I included Tim as well as his brothers and sister in the Tweets because I knew they were probably excited for him and might appreciate reading tweets during the event. Some people retweeted and favorited some of my Tweets and Dr. Shriver was appreciative of the support.

I waited until the line was almost down to a couple of people and stood at the end of the line. The gentleman in front of me was distraught because he didn't have a copy of the book (the store had sold out) so I offered one my own copies. He insisted that I take money for the book but I told him it wasn't necessary. He finally pushed the money into my hand. He went on to tell me about his adult daughter who has cerebral palsy and how the Shrivers' impacted their lives. It was finally my turn to see Dr. Shriver. I never do well at meeting "celebrities." I've met quite a few and I always regret it afterwards because I get nervous and what spews out my mouth is never something noteworthy. When you meet someone who has given so much to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities you want it to be noteworthy.  But, instead, I said, "You don't remember me do you?" He smiled and responded with a polite, "No." I reminded him about my interview with him last year for the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Fellowship. I thought he might remember me because he took note of my Scottish accent.

[Side Note: I didn't get accepted for the Fellowship. During the interview I shared that I wanted to work on international disability rights and it wasn't a focus area for the fellowship that year.  I told myself that if God wanted me to be a Kennedy Fellow then it would've happened. I was obviously supposed to do something else instead that year. I prayed and trusted that God would show me the way and that's what finally led to my work with Wheelchairs for Kids International and the creation of the CRPD Facebook page. If I had received the Fellowship then I wouldn't have had the time to get involved with Wheelchairs for Kids International; I wouldn't have gone to Guatemala, and I wouldn't have gotten to know Azwan.]

I had books signed for my son and others but I couldn't bring myself to ask him to sign my own book. Weird, huh? I shared on Facebook that it felt like a selfish act. I did the same thing when I met President Obama a couple of times and the First Lady. I didn't ask for an autograph or a photo when everyone around me was. For me, it was a gift just having the experience and I will treasure the memory. But this time, I asked for a photograph, so that I could show my son who participates in Special Olympics.

Life often take unexpected twists and turns and can get a wee bit topsy turvy. Sometimes disappointments lead to something greater and beyond your wildest dreams. And, sometimes taking risks lead to wonderful adventures that help you on your path to understanding what it means to be "Fully Alive."

Receive your copy of Dr. Shriver's book from Amazon for less than $20. It makes a wonderful gift!!