Cels'

Hi Everyone,
The following one is so touching because it's straight from the heart. Sam has know Matt Celentano for years and years. They go to Dover together every 6 months. However, I didn't know Cels very well until we had Logan and decided to do the Polar Bear Plunge. I kid you not, Cels was the BIGGEST supporter of this event from day 1. He was awesome and always so enthusiastic. We absolutely adore him, and now his beautiful fiance. We're so blessed to have friends like Cels and Katie.
Thanks Cels for being honest!!!


So, where to start... I remember when one of my friends told me that Sam and Katie had just had a baby with DS, and I remember my first reaction was, "Oh God! I feel so terrible for Sam and Katie." However, time has taken away my ignorance. I realize now that that I could not have been more completely wrong.

My initial thoughts and feelings were based on what I thought I knew to be reality. My thoughts were along the lines that his parents' lives would be full of hardship, terror, ridicule, and spending times dealing with a "freak." I hate to be so painfully not-so-subtle, but this was really what I was thinking. Wow, I could not have been more off-base.

Over the last couple of years I have learned so much that has totally opened my eyes. Not only is Logan not a "special," boy, he is just that....a boy. Not only will Logan grow up just like every other child his age, maybe not at the same pace as others as I've been told, but he is just as normal - and maybe even more normal than me as a jaded adult. In some ways, I wish I was him, making people happy, full of love, and a joy to the rest of us.

I have taken a couple of things from this learning process. One, you don't know nearly as much as you think you do - about disabilities, about kids in general, nor about the love of friends and family once faced with a challenge. Secondly, how amazing the Plunge has been for me personally not only for the fun day that it is, but how incredible it is in bringing amazing people together to make things better for others. It's not only a testament to the people we surround ourselves with, but also to the quality and generous traits we all have within ourselves. It makes me smile from ear to ear to think of not only the outrageous day we have made it, but also the common goal that so abundantly touches everyone involved.

It makes me a bit sad that it takes a blessing like Logan to make all of us realize things like this, but he has become not only a catalyst of learning for me, but also brought a general sensitivity and hope that a band of friends can become better and more understanding people. Logan has most certainly changed the way I feel about disabilities in general, but has also unforgettably changed the notion of how I judge/react....

Even though I haven't spent a lot of time with Logan - he doesn't run to me like other children I know - he has touched me very deeply. A little boy has opened my heart in ways that I can not begin to explain. He's brought friends into my life, introduced me to amazing experiences and taught me so much about myself and life in general.

So with that, I have said my piece, come Plunge with us, and DONATE ON MY PAGE! - I WANNA BEAT SAM!!!!!

http://plungemd.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=309300&lis=1&kntae309300=D1BB02DB115547D3B5673EE4F452FE92&supId=158883961