Mary Verdi-Fletcher was born with spina bifida (脊柱裂), a disease that causes weakness in the legs and spine. Undiscouraged, she was not about to be told what she could or could not do. She believes that someone who is an artist is an artist from the day he or she is born. She dreamed of dancing and made up her mind to make her dream a reality. While still young, Verdi-Fletcher — dancing in her wheelchair — entered a dance competition with a friend. They won first prize. Later she won more competitions, refusing to listen to people who said to her “ You can’t dance if you’re in a wheelchair” or “ Dancing in a chair is not really dancing”.

However, Verdi-Fletcher was not pleased with personal success alone. She wanted to make dance available to others with disabilities. In 1980, she founded a dance company called Dancing Wheels Company. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Dancing Wheels Company performs all over the world. In productions like “ The Snowman”, sit-down dancers perform with stand-up dancers. Modern lighting designs, attractive sets (布景), wonderful music, and festive costuming draw audience into fairy tales and other stories.

In one show, a young stand-up dancer named Devin played “The Brother Who Cannot See” while a young sit-down dancer named Jenny performed the role of “ The Sister Who Cannot Walk” . It was a lovely way to express a theme Verdi-Fletcher has represented all through her life: We all have disabilities. Some disabilities may be more noticeable, but hard work and devotion to our dreams can make the seemingly impossible become a reality.

   Little Tommy was the pride and joy of his parents. He was a little boy, very bright and happy. So with no doubt his parents sent him to kindergarten, and it was certain that he would grow up very well.

At the end of the first week, Tommy brought home pictures he had coloured. His parents were a bit puzzled why his drawings were done in black crayon But they said nothing.

Another week passed and Tommy’s pictures were technically correct and well drawn for a 5-year-old but still in black. His parents thought, perhaps he was colour-blind（色盲的）. So they took him for a check-up.

The doctor told them not to worry. Tommy was healthy in every way. However，the pictures still came home in black. The teacher was contacted and she related that Tommy was the top of her class in everything, very well liked by all of the other children and showed no signs of any problems.

In kindergarten for a month, Tommy’s mother was anxious. She made an appointment with a child psychologist（心理学家）, who did a brain scan for Tommy. His character was well formed, and he was a precocious（超前的）learner. Perhaps he needed more challenging activities.

By Thanksgiving the fridge and various walls and doors of the family home had displayed Tommy’s black pictures, black dogs chasing a black ball in a black field, black houses, black suns, black airplanes, black turkeys, everything black.

Tommy’s grandmother was visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday and noticed all of the black drawings. She immediately asked Tommy, “Why are all of your drawings done in black crayon?”

To which he replied, “Because Grandma, by the time the crayon box gets down to my end of the table, there are only black crayons left.”

   I now remember the day as if it were just yesterday. It was the early morning hours and I had _____ to my dad several hours before. We hung up the phone and I _____ my night time routine, getting my daughter ready for _____ and doing the same for myself. I went to sleep that night and the phone rang around 1:30 a.m. I saw that it was my brother _____ I thought he had probably been drunk so I hung _____ up. My brother gets drunk and calls me _____ Then the phone rang again and I answered. He asked me if I knew what was _____ because our cousin had called him and told him to call our aunt because she _____ to talk to him. She said there was no _____ at my parents’ house. At that point I started to ______ but I had to stay strong for my brother. I called the hospital and I asked if they had a ______ by the name of Ray Green. They said yes and nothing else. My mother called me back after a few minutes and told me that my father had ______.

I’m still so lost that sometimes I pick up the ______ to call my dad and then I remember he’s not there for me to make a phone call to. ______, I see something that would have made him ______ and I laugh twice for him too. My mother is so much ______ than I am. She is back at work and going on with her life and I’ve done the ______ but not like her. I know she ______ my father dearly but she is strong and keeps on so that everybody else can ______ her lead. So that is what I’m trying to do: stay strong and keep my ______ up.

   Cancer treatments left 5-year-old Isabella Harvey nearly bald (秃顶的). She felt _____ for not feeling as “beautiful” as her favourite Disney princesses, ______ a magical photo shoot lifted her _____ and moved many of her supporters to tears.

D’ Antoni, who is a member of Gianna Nicole’s Heart of Hope, a foundation that _____ cancer patients and their families, had known the Harvey family for years. She _____ to organize a photo shoot activity in a (n) _____ to cheer up Isabella. The photo shoot was held at the Oakes ide Bloomfield Cultural Center in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Dressed _____ a beautiful princess gown (女裙) , Isabella remained _____ about her bald head, and didn’t want to take off her hat. But all that changed when a famous performer Chelsea Knutson _____ as Cinderella, a Disney princess with a ______ head.

Isabella was excited to see Knutson in character. She took her hat off ______ and said, “ Wow, she looks just like me!” And in a moment she ______ from a shy little girl into a confident and brave princess!

“I didn’t ______ her in advance that Cinderella was going to be bald,” Pina Harvey, her mother said. “I wanted to ______ her. When Knutson came down the stairs as Cinderella, her face ______ She looked very cheerful.” D’ Antoni was equally ______. “When Isabella saw that Cinderella had no hair, she had a ______ from ear to ear. She knew that she wasn’t ______ ,” she said.

Isabella continues to fight cancer, going to the ______ every week. She hopes her fight can help ______ other kids to be brave and feel beautiful, too.

   My family lived in a motel（汽车旅馆）for two years. Like most families living there, we stayed in a two-bedroom suite. We were living from paycheck to paycheck, so when Christmas approached, we didn't know if we would be able to buy gifts for our children.

A few days before Christmas someone dropped off presents for all the kids that lived at the motel. It brought so much joy to all the children, most of whom knew that they wouldn't be receiving anything.

Five years ago, we moved out of the motel. After that, my husband and I were working hard at Joe's Crab Shack to support our family. A few days before Christmas, I was busy working. The man at my table could see the large tables were taking most of my time, but I was very patient and friendly. Between drinks and food I was able to chat with him about his family and mine. He left me $10, then walked out. About 10 minutes later, I turned around and there he was again. He gave me a hug , and put something inside my apron, telling me“Have a Merry Christmas”. I reached into my apron and pulled out $800.

I was so overwhelmed（不知所措的）by his generosity that I burst into tears. He had given me more than enough money to help my family catch up on our bills. After discussing what we should do with the money we had left over, we decided to buy presents for the families living at the motel, so we could pass on the blessing that we had received. Since then, it has been a tradition for us to give Christmas gifts to the families in need.

Last year we were able to give presents to each of the 80 children at a school in our community, and throw a Christmas party for them. This year our goal is to add at least 20 children.