Ryan’s Graduation Speech!!!!!

On youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaT57RcO4XI

Good afternoon teachers, family and fellow graduates. My name is Ryan Kier. I am the senior class president and it is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the commencement for the CAT Pickering graduating class of 2009. It has been the best honor of my life so far to be chosen as your president and as my final duty, I get the honor of leaving all of you with, what I hope will be, some words to remember. And I had a bunch of great things to say all written in a nice little speech. Ready to go.   Until my mom stepped in – and we all know how that goes.  My mom shared a story with me that I had not heard before and it moved me so much that I decided this story might be something you take with you as you leave today. Because it is not filled with quotes I found on Google. Or words taken from some well known speaker.  This a true story about a promise that a young mother kept in her heart for well over 12 years. It is about NEVER giving up hope. It is about faith and believing that all things are possible even when faced with some of life’s biggest and scariest challenges.   It was 1997 and the young mother remembers sitting in the family waiting room of Children’s Hospital of

Philadelphia. Her 8 year-old son had just been carried away from her by a heart surgeon. She had watched him disappear through a doorway down a long hall. He smiled and waved the entire time. She had been in this seat many times before, but that did not make it any easier for her. There was no choice in this matter, as her young son had been born with a heart that was not only in backwards, but was also missing some parts. If he was to have a life, then he needed to have several open heart surgeries.

  On this particular day, he was having his heart opened for the second time. For several hours, his heart would be stopped and he would be kept alive on a by-pass machine. There were no guarantees this surgery would work. The gifted surgeon had to reconstruct his heart to work properly using stents and graphs and what he told the mother would be “a lot of help from up above.” She never knew if she would see her son alive again.  Hours went by and the mom remembers that on that day, on TV, she watched the funeral of Princess Diana and all she could think about for the first few of many hours of waiting was “is my son going to be spending the evening with me or with the princess and God in heaven?”  The thoughts of losing him became overwhelming and so much so that she decided at that moment that the only way to get through this was going to require her to CHANGE her thoughts.  

To think positive.  To imagine all things good.  To believe in HIS happily ever after.  And so, for the remaining few hours, she closed her eyes and she imagined him coming home.  

Carrying his balloons and toys out of the hospital. Going back to the second grade.  On to third and fourth and fifth grades. Making his way into junior high school.  Arguing with her at times.  

Driving a car.  Complaining about having to cut the grass. Slamming his bedroom door in her face. Forgetting to do his homework.  

Giving back to his community.  Being kind to others.  Sharing time with friends.  Getting his first job.  

Going on family vacations.  Going to prom.  Laughing, smiling, loving and, most of all … living life to its fullest.  Making her proud of him and making HIM proud of himself.  

These thoughts filled her with peace.  Until finally, she decided to dream big and she imagined him all the way through high school. On his graduation day. He’d be over 6 feet tall. Big blue eyes. Smiling proudly. In his cap and gown. Standing up on the stage, at the podium. Giving his final speech to his fellow graduates as the senior class president.  That day would be just the beginning of his life.  And she held tight to that dream and at this very moment, that dream is coming true for her because I am the son who made it through those surgeries. And many more. And I had NO IDEA that she imagined I would be senior class president, up on this podium, in my cap and gown, 6 feet 3 inches tall, smiling proudly, giving the final speech to my graduating class. Because her secret dream 12 years ago became my dream, too!   

Today I tell you – dare to dream. Believe in everything you do, passionately - with all of your heart, even if your heart is put together with glue and toothpicks as my doctor would say. You get one chance at this life. There are no guarantees for any of us. Trust me when I tell you this - Your life is a gift.   So get out there and Live it!    _________________________________________________________________

This was prom week at Stephanie’s school - the Devereux

Kanner

Center in

West Chester, PA.  Steph and the other 4 girls she lives were given some great dresses and I filled in all of the missing pieces including a dress, hose and shoes for one gal they could not fit properly. Even though these girls are autistic, they get this prom thing - dressing up, hair, make-up, nails … great shoes. I am not sure if it was a bigger night for me or for them! I made each of them a necklace with a large sparkly jewel and a bouquet of flowers to carry. My dear friend, Renee and I, gathered up a stash of things and arrived at the house early to doll them up. All of them were dressed, each had on a swimsuit under her dress for modesty sake. It was precious! They were like typical girls in many ways - one tugging and fussing on her skirt, one wanting her necklace wrapped in her hair, one upset because she only had flip flops to wear and no high heels. Steph does not really talk - but when I asked if she wanted to change out of the black dress they had her in to blue she screamed - stay in black! Well, OK then! They all looked so pretty in their dresses and carrying bouquets. I think the highlight of the night was when Steph disappeared and I found her, on the dance floor, holding hands and swaying to the music with the cutest young man and when he left to get some cake and Andy took over, it was equally sweet when he came back and cut in! Ah, life …

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Nicholas, my 15-year-old is not a huge fan of getting his picture taken! I am working on it! He is having a summer party in his head already, anticipating vacation! Nick is a brilliant artist. He sketches with a perfection undenied, unfortunately, he likes to sketch during class which does not sit well with his teachers! Especially since a lot of those sketches are OF the teachers. In cartoon form. Doing something ridiculous! He is loveable, sweet and emerging! Stay tuned. Nick is going to be the HUGE star in the family.

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Congratulations to my son, Ryan, the miracle man, who was the recipient of several awards this week at two senior awards ceremonies at his high school. As editor of his high school yearbook, he was named the top graphic design/art student of the year which awarded him an entire software suite of programs that he will need as he moves on to his 2 year community college program before 4 years at

Penn

State. Let him get his feet wet! He was also honored as senior class president. In addition, one local company awarded him a $500 scholarship for his academic achievements - 4.25 GPA for 4 years. All A’s and another $400. Ok, so what mom doesn’t want to brag on her children? It’s what we do. And while I am proud of Ryan for excelling way beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, I am most happy to write about it because he is such an inspiration. I am certain that not one student in his class knows of Ryan’s underlying medical issues. How fragile his life is. How many surgeries he has survived. How his heart is creatively put together to function with graphs and tubes and stents. And the cool thing is, it would not matter if, when he gives the senior class president speech, he opens up his shirt and shows the vertical scar that cuts from the top of his chest to his belly button from 2 open heart surgeries. Or the few scars that cut across his belly from bowel surgeries. The thing is, Ryan chose to be himself and to not let his disabilities stand in the way of anything OR provide a sense of entitlement because others felt sorry for him. Ryan was just RYAN.Ryan is beloved. They call him “Master Ryan” at school. He gets along well with everyone. The teachers honor and love him. He will be missed as he moves forward. He is unstoppable.This year has flown by and mamma bird now has to really let go. He will be 20 in July, facing college with courage and excitement. Learning on his own without the additional support he has received as a learning disabled student. The teachers, all 14 years of school so far, have been nothing short of wonderful. They have instilled a confidence in him that will carry him through life and he has soaked up their knowledge in volumes.Ryan is busy preparing his commencement speech - short and sweet. Kids are signing the yearbook. Thisis his last week of high school! This child was not left behind!