Creatively
Speaking
The Smallest, Bravest Walk-a-thon
There was once a dreadfully wicked hobgoblin who
decided to make a looking glass that would reflect
everything that was good and beautiful in such a way
that it would look dreadful or at least not very important.
When you look in it, you would not be able to see any
of the good or the beautiful in yourself or the world.
If there was anything that a person was ashamed of
or wanted to hide, you could be sure that this would
be just the thing that the looking glass emphasized.
After the glass was finished, the hobgoblin's
assistants carried it up to the heavens. They hoped
that perhaps God himself would look into it! But
as they reached the heavens, a great invisible force
stopped them and they dropped the dreadful looking
glass. And as it fell, it broke into millions of
pieces.
Each of the pieces was hardly as large as a grain
of sand, and they flew all over the world. If anyone
got a bit of glass in his eye there it stayed, and
then he would see everything as ugly or distressing.
Everything good would look stupid...
Adapted from "The Snow Queen,"
By Hans Christian Andersen
When I first came up with the idea for the first Forward
Face Walk for Awareness of Facial Difference, I hoped
that through the walk we could start gathering up the
pieces of shattered glass from the hobgoblin's mirror
and toss them away where they could do no further harm.
Someday, I hope, through education and awareness that
individuals peering into a looking glass will see themselves
as well as people with facial differences as good and
beautiful people. A lofty goal, worth striving to achieve,
especially for those of us who grew up with or have
a child with a facial difference due to a craniofacial
condition.
Even though craniofacial conditions and their often
resulting facial differences are not that rare, the
general public knows relatively little about them.
Forward Face through its lifetime has helped many
children and families cope with the emotional and social
issues of growing up with a facial difference.
In the autumn of 2003, when the Forward Face education
committee was trying to think of ways to promote social
awareness of facial differences, I put forth an idea
I had been thinking about for a while.
" Why don't we have a walk," I asked. "What
better way to be recognized then to put ourselves right
out there on the street for people to see."
Dina, a new Forward Face board member, was also born
with a craniofacial condition. We had met many years
ago in 1980, when I was conducting a series of workshops
to help teens cope with the issues of growing up with
a facial difference. Eleven at the time, Dina was shy
and quiet. Dina 's mother had hoped the workshop would
help Dina become more outgoing. Dina only came to one
workshop and I never saw her again until a few years
ago when we met up at a Forward Face function.
It seemed liked fate had hooked us up again to plan
the walk.
Once underway, Dina and I soon realized we had no
idea how to start planning a walk. What do you do?
We did the easy part. We picked the date and place,
Sunday October 3, 2004. The walk would take place on
the Hudson River Park walkway on the West Side of Manhattan
along the Hudson River. We started gathering information
on how to plan a walk and were alarmed to find out
that the planning should start a year before the walk
is to take place. We had started planning in May for
a walk we wanted to execute in October of the same
year.
With a few phone calls we learned that we needed a
walk permit. We held our breath after applying for
the permit. Had we applied too late? What would we
do if we had? Finally we got our permit. EXHALE!
What Dina and I lacked in knowledge and experience
we made up in determination and enthusiasm.
As we planned the walk, Dina and I meshed into quite
a team. We had no conflicts, only contrasts. We talked
almost every day about small issues and at times, what
seemed like insurmountable problems.
In the early part of July 2004, Forward Face was suddenly
left without an executive director. Up until then Dina
and I had huddled under the protective umbrella of
the director's knowledge in planning events. Now we
were on our own.
After hearing the news, we went to an outdoor caf≥ in
Manhattan not far from the Forward Face office. We
sat there wondering if we could do this by ourselves.
" Hanna is going to be so disappointed if we
can't pull this off," said Dina
Hanna is Dina's niece, who at the time was six.
" Why is Hanna going to be disappointed," I
asked.
" She wants to walk," Dina said. "She
wants to help make people aware of facial difference."
Dina had always been open and honest about her facial
condition to her niece and nephews. She wanted them
to learn at a young age not to be afraid of people
who are different. And Hanna sure did learn. She wanted
to walk for the cause. Hanna proves that with knowledge
and awareness, children can embrace difference.
I have always believed that when you are faced with
a dilemma an answer is provided for you, so when God
whispers, I listen. And he whispered through Hanna.
I knew we had to go on.
" Dina," I said. We are going to get this
done. We are going to do it for Hanna."
From then on neither of us could afford to doubt our
ability to organize the walk. Hanna depended on us.
Sunday, October 3, 2004, we couldn't have asked for
a better day, a pristine day with a clear blue sky
without a speck of white in sight. The day of the walk
had finally arrived and everything was in place. As
the walk drew closer, the Forward Face board and office
staff provided us with plenty of support, and extra
hands.
About an hour before the walk started, I rode down
to the finish line with a couple of other Forward Face
board members to make sure everything was in place.
When we returned back to the start area, all we could
see was a mass of baby blue T-shirts.
Dina came up to me and said, "You are not going
to believe this, we have close to 100 walkers."
Shortly after the walk was underway, I turned around
to gaze at the almost one hundred people, those with
craniofacial conditions, their families, friends, Forward
Face supporters, and Hanna all wearing T-shirts saying:
WE BELIEVE IN THE GIFT OF FACIAL DIFFERENCE.
By Christine Karlsson
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