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WALLACE |
Some simple acts of kindness can go a long way, even making you feel like you’ve literally hit the jackpot, as a Bellefontaine area family attests after several happenings that honored their daughter at Bellefontaine Middle School recently.
“To a family with a special needs child, this outpouring of love and support is like winning the lottery,” Nick Wallace wrote in a Facebook post Sept. 28.
Earlier that day, Mr. Wallace and his wife, Angie, said they received a text from their daughter Allie’s teacher. She wanted to let them know that a typical eighth-grade girl had become friends with Allie and had invited her to hang out at the volleyball match that night.
Allie was diagnosed at age 2 months with a rare genetic disorder called cri du chat syndrome, and her family previously has been featured in the Examiner. French for “cry of the cat” for the high-pitched cry that infants with the disorder often exhibit, cri du chat is also called 5 p minus syndrome because it is caused by a deletion of a portion of the short arm of the fifth chromosome.
The syndrome can cause a variety of issues, including significant learning problems, low muscle tone, physical and fine motor problems and inability to communicate in a typical manner, according to the Five P Minus Society’s Web site, www.fivepminus.org.
The Wallaces discussed the idea of Allie attending the volleyball game, and decided that it would be OK as long as an adult, who was familiar with Allie’s needs, was there to supervise.
Her special education teacher, Amber Newkirk, offered to chaperone the girls for the outing. Ms. Newkirk said she had been approached by student Sierra Matthews about the occasion.
“I was so blessed to be able to play a part, albeit very small part, in this experience with Allie,” the teacher wrote in an e-mail. “I was speechless when Sierra went out of her way to make sure Allie knew she was part of the student body.”
While at the game, Allie also received a special surprise when the opposing team, Graham Middle School, presented her with a pink hair bow.
Read complete story in Saturday’s Examiner.
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