I am consistently amazed at the number of people in the area who are doing awesome things every day. There are some seriously inspiring people in the Lehigh Valley, and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and/or meeting many of them. One of my hopes about this blog is that I will be able to spotlight some of the great people in my hometown, through interviews, features, guest blog posts or simply connecting all of you to what they are doing. I have some interviews in the works and have been brainstorming ideas for other ways to feature people, but haven’t fully formulated my plan yet. However, I wanted to share this with all of you right away.
I have been acquainted with Shane for about 8 years, when circumstances led our paths to cross at the church my father-in-law pastored. I only knew him well enough to say hello to for several years, and didn’t see him very often for quite some time. As often in this area, though, our paths intersected again last year when I began a new job. Shane has a progressive, chronic and life-threatening disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which has left his body wheelchair bound and his sharp mind in a space of relentless positivity. I’m not going to write about the details of his disease or the incredible nature of Shane’s attitude, because you can see it all on his blog, called Laughing At My Nightmare. It should be in everyone’s RSS feed.
Shortly after he began his blog and quickly amassed a large following, Shane decided to put his popularity to good use. In the midst of his busy college career, numerous health complications (including a new daily feeding tube regimen) and his blog post writing, he and his cousin decided to start a non-profit organization about positivity. They are selling some pretty rad Laughing At My Nightmare bracelets to raise money for MDA research and are beginning several projects to spread a message about having an uplifting outlook in the face of diversity.
Today, Shane released his first project through Laughing At My Nightmare, Inc.. It’s a video that is one to bookmark for one of those days where you are wallowing in self-pity and can’t seem to get out of bed. Check it out and pass it on.
fromherenow 