Meet JORDAN!
"Sunshine Girl," 2009 Winners/HomeSense
Buy Some Sunshine Campaign
Looking on the ‘sunny side of life’ with Jordan!
Light blond hair surrounds a delicate face and a shy smile that can light up a room. Eight-year-old Jordan may appear fragile, but her tiny frame contains the heart of a lion.
Jordan was born with cerebral palsy which has affected her growth and motor skills. But, as her mother, Louise, is quick to explain: “Jordan’s a normal kid - she just can’t walk.”
Louise lovingly describes her daughter as “smiley and always ready to laugh and have a good time. She loves being with people. Jordan is a natural optimist and very caring with her friends and family. She’s naturally adventurous and up for anything - she just needs help doing it.”
While Jordan relies upon a wheelchair for long distances, rigorous daily physiotherapy and a fierce sense of determination have recently allowed her to advance to using forearm crutches (neon pink and decorated with flames!).
An excellent student, Jordan is at the top of her class for writing and reading. But when she wins awards at school, it is always for “being the most optimistic and looking on the sunny side of life,” smiles her mother proudly.
Despite Jordan’s natural optimism, she finds it a challenge to keep up with her friends or watch other children doing things that she would love to do. Louise keeps spirits high by reminding her daughter: “We all have challenges. Right now this is hard, but it’s something we will get through together. Remember how, last year at this time, you couldn’t do things that you can do now?”
Asked what it is like to be the mother of a child with a disability, soft-spoken Louise replies, “I’m very protective. I never knew I could be a mother bear!” She reflects further: “I think you treasure things so much more - every little piece of progress.”
Jordan is very caring and empathetic with her friends. Louise recalls how one of Jordan’s fellow classmates, also challenged by cerebral palsy, was distressed to learn that she would need to wear a brace. Jordan went up to her little friend, looked her straight in the eye and comforted her, saying: “You know what? I really didn’t like mine at first, but it’s not so bad. Sure they are a little uncomfortable, but they will really help you.”
Jordan’s recent Sunshine Dream trip to Disneyland could not have come at a better time. Jordan moved to a new school last fall (a difficult adjustment) and she lost a beloved grandmother to cancer in December. As Louise explains, “Jordan’s Sunshine Dream trip brought her a lot of joy and memories to last a lifetime. But more than that, it gave her a new sense of self-confidence.”
Recently, Jordan and her mother were eating breakfast and Jordan said, “You know, mom, it’s not so bad having cerebral palsy. I wouldn’t be famous - having my photo across the country in the Winners and HomeSense stores, and I wouldn’t have been able to go to Disneyland.”
Jordan is determined to look on the sunny side of life, and she inspires us to do that too!
THANK YOU, Winners and HomeSense associates, for your continued support of the Buy Some Sunshine campaign in your stores. Over the past 10 years, you have helped brighten countless young lives and made dreams come true for Sunshine kids from coast to coast to coast!
A Canadian Charity est. 1987 | © 2007 - 2009 Sunshine Foundation of Canada |