Thanks Tyler
December 6th, 2009 by DreamsforKids | Filed under blogs, Tom Tuohy |As we give thanks for all our gifts, I find myself reflecting on special moments that remind me of what is most important. One of those moments occurred during Dreams for Kids recent 20 Anniversary event in Chicago as the Adler Planetarium. During the program, we highlighted our Extreme 
Recess program with a video featuring some of the thousands of kids who have participated in our adaptive sports program.
At the end of the video, we froze the frame on a photo of Tyler Woodworth, grinning ear to ear, green goggles and all. Tyler was getting ready to say to the driver of the boat, in his words, “gun it.” For the first time in his life, Tyler was about to be a water skier.
As the video froze on the Planetarium screen, Tyler rose from the audience, all goggled up, with a microphone in his hand, to tell us, live and in person, what it meant to have this opportunity.
A friend, who had flown in from LA for the event, would share with me later, “Tyler gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life. We he began to speak, I grabbed the edge of the table and said, ‘Please God let this boy be understood.’ Then I suddenly became present to the fact that this is exactly what I have thought every time my father has begun to speak since his illness. I realized I had been judging my father, who is the same person he always had been. He is my father. He is communicating now in the only way he can. The tears ran down my face and I bowed my head and asked my father to forgive me. I also pledged to never again judge another person. I lifted me ahead and listened. Something remarkable happened. I understood every single word that boy said…”
I suppose Tyler has some kind of disability. I don’t even know what it is, because it is not important. What Tyler cannot do pales in comparison to his extraordinary abilities. His speaks in a voice uniquely his own. He lights up a room and he captivates you with his personality and his presence. On an October evening at the Planetarium in Chicago, Tyler reminded us all how important it is to look past our judgments and to really listen, to accept, and to appreciate each other for who we really are – and to see the gifts right before our eyes.
Thank you, Tyler.
What a great post