Letter to Sue Austin 'Deep sea diving.. in a wheelchair'

Sue Austin deep diving.. in a wheelchair
image from ted.com

A friend of mine sent me this link to a video called 'Deep sea diving...in a wheelchair'. I read the title twice before I clicked the link that would send me to the video, I was like 'wwwhhhhaaaaaa?'. 

So before I put the link down for everyone to watch, I'd just like to say a few words to Sue Austin who was the lady who actually went diving in a wheelchair in the sea.

I'll begin by saying, thank you thank you thank you. THANK YOU. Your belief and motivation has not only inspired myself and people around the world but has also educated people on another perspective of what the word 'disability' means. It's an eye-opener on so many different levels. I, for one, can not begin to explain how much you have lifted my heart up from ten feet down in the ground. You're video gives my family hope, my Mango a whole new way of looking at life. Not one with limited potential of where our goal is to be the norm but a whole new goal of being more than the norm. I believe and hope that one day Mango can achieve great things but boy... I tell ya, seeing it is a whole lot different than just believing it. It suddenly changes the belief into reality and so with that I replace the word 'believe' to 'know'. I now KNOW, one day Mango will achieve swimming in deep sea, bungee jumping, parachuting or what ever it is he wants. If it's in his two feet or I have to carry him in my arms. We will achieve it. HE will achieve it.

So with that said, I hope all you wonderful people whether your a parent of a special needs child, special needs yourself or just someone passing buy. I do hope that this makes your day the way it made mine. I hope that it inspires you to see things differently and when the word 'special needs' comes up, you do your part by showing that instead of 'limited, handicap, pity' should be popping up in our minds we change that by thinking of 'love, potential and most of all able'.

Enjoy! http://www.ted.com/talks/sue_austin_deep_sea_diving_in_a_wheelchair.html

P.S. Thank you dear friend