I Beat the Odds_ From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond - Michael Oher [74]
L. writes:
Your life story has reached my heart as well as many others. I really look up and cherish you. Most famous people get blinded by the money and fame and forget where they come from, but you didn't. I can relate to your story. My mom was on drugs and my dad was abusive, but over the years things have gotten better and I learned to forgive them and let what happened in the past stay in the past and look forward to the future.
Another wonderful set of letters arrived from Ms. Stacy Rulon at Sunrise Children's Services. She explains the organization's efforts:
I work in a program for teenage girls that are at risk and have behavior problems. We just watched the movie The Blind Side, based on your life. It was very inspirational how you were able to overcome your past and succeed in life. I think it showed our girls that it is okay to give happiness a chance, that people can be trusted and to give them a chance to care about them . . . [Some girls from the program] wanted you to know how they felt after watching the movie.
Unfortunately, because of the complications of getting permission from the parents or legal guardians of these children, I won't be able to quote directly from what the students wrote. But just to give you an idea of what these letters said, I will summarize some of them.
One girl wrote to say that she had been in juvenile detention for about a year and didn't think she would even finish high school. But the movie showed her that success isn't just for kids from solid backgrounds and stable homes--it's something anyone can pursue, and she is now inspired to go after real success, too.
Another girl talked about living on the streets after being neglected by her mother. A friend's aunt took her in and did not give up on her, even though she kept messing up. She is so grateful for that woman's concern and wants to know what advice I could share about staying off the streets and out of trouble for good. Another letter told a similar story, and how learning about my life made her decide not to give up and motivated her to turn her life around for her siblings to see and learn from.
There was a letter that talked about living in fear of facing life's problems. This young person had been taken from her mother when she was twelve and felt like she had no way to stand up for herself and make a better life. But she said that my story made her believe that good grades and personal courage were possible for kids like her, and she thanked me for giving her that hope.
A teenager wrote to say that The Blind Side had been shown in the group home where she was living and it caused her attitude to change. She realized she couldn't just blame her circumstances and feel sorry for herself; in order to have a better chance at life she needed to change her own behavior and refuse to let other people's mistakes hold her back.
A different teenager told me how she had attempted suicide because she felt so alone, but her foster sister found her and begged her to stop, explaining that she was loved and wanted and not alone anymore. After watching the movie about my life, she realized for the first time that she wasn't the only kid who had felt those negative things. She saw that there was a hopeful future for kids like us if we just accepted the help and support of the people around us.
One girl explained how she and her older sister had been shuffled between relatives and then finally turned over to state custody. Her sister aged out of the system at eighteen, but this girl was still waiting and hoping for a family that might take her in as she finished school--because she is determined to graduate. My movie, she said, showed her that the only way to succeed is to believe that you can do it and that you are worth the effort.
Several kids wrote that they felt empowered by my story in a way they never had before--like I was giving a voice to