I'm a professional radio personality and I live in Houston Texas. One of my responsibilities as a radio personality is to do "appearances" at different businesses to promote what ever event they would like us to talk about. Well On Friday I had a remote at the Houston Zoo. It was called Wizard of OZ weekend and it was sponsored by the zoo and a company called Broadway Across America. Its funny...but if you really just pay attention, God performs little miracles all the time in our lives. Anyways on with the story...
During this promotion, the Houston Zoo had Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz come out and take pictures with children on a Yellow Brick road that was painted onto the pavement. It was cute, the yellow brick road lead to the lion, tiger and bear exhibits, which had scenes from the Wizard of oz movie on the glass.
It was an absolutely beautiful and picture perfect day. The children were really excited to see Dorthy. There was one child in particular who just stole the show. Her name was Courtney, Courtney Brook Rosas. Courtney was a 6 year old little girl who had a terminal illness called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 1. It was impossible for Courtney to sit up, speak, walk, talk, roll over, swallow or even breath on her own. Of course your first thoughts are oh...that's so unfortunate, and I can understand that. But Courtney said so much without even mumbling a word. You could see in this child's eyes that she had more joy in her heart than any of the kids running around her wheel chair.
So it turns out that Courtney was a Wizard of Oz fanatic!!! She was Dressed up exactly like Dorthy all the way down to her little Red slipper. And her little sister was equally as passionate about the Wizard of OZ and dressed like Dorthy too. They were there with their mother and grandmother. I thought the mother was Courtney's Sister because she looked so young! Turns out Courtney mother had her when she was 16. Can you imagine not only dealing with the fact that you're a single mother, but also a single mother of a child with a terminal illness!! Some people would say "God Why Me?" Some would simply walk away...Not Courtney's mom. I remember my first thoughts when I got to talk to them was wow, this little girl is so blessed! They love her so much. Have you ever been around a new couple? The love is so new and exciting you can feel it? Well, that's how the love in this family was, you could literally feel it.
After speaking to Courtney I learned that doctors said Courtney was only supposed to live to be 2, and here she is 6 years old and just having the time of her life. Anyways, We were doing a drawing to win tickets to see the Wizard of Oz on Easter Sunday. I didn't realize that Courtney and her family had entered to win the tickets. I did the last drawing and unfortunately they didn't win.
The winner was a young lady who I had met at another remote of mine at a club. That lady had waited 2 hours for the drawing as well, and was very excited when she won. Well some how those two families ended up talking, and all of a sudden Courtney's mother is crying. The lady gave Courtney and her family her tickets.
As I type this story on Easter Sunday, I remember something my mother said today in church. Easter is proof that God can take something meant for bad and make it good. We can look at Courtney's situation and say, that's horrible! That little girl is going to die so young! Its not fair. Just like Jesus could have said that's not fair I'm only 33 I don't want to die, this horrible death.... this young! Or you can look at the the other side of the coin. Courtney touched more lives in that 2 hour time span that I saw her, than most people do in a lifetime! Just like Jesus saved more souls in his 33 years on earth than any other person on this planet. Every life has a purpose. Courtney and her family are doing their jobs...are you doing yours?
Read more about Courtney at this link:
www.our-sma-angels.com/CourtneyBrooke
I met Courtney a year ago. She is one of those rare people who make you see life differently. and if you talk with her enough to make her smile, you have a joy in your heart the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteI hope you keep in touch with them and visit Courtney at some of her fundraising events.