Hello! Happy Monday! This weekend I was MIA because my family and I took a quick over night trip to Vermont to drop Matt (my brother) off at Future Leader Camp at Norwich University. Matt is the most patriotic person I have ever met and he wants to serve his country. Camp is a two weeks preview into what college would be like if he does in fact decide to attend Norwich. We will have very little contact with him…five-ish minutes a day. It’s going to be rough to say the least.
After the worst drop off in the history of the universe (we didn’t get to say goodbye, he was just taken off) I cried the entire 40 minutes to the airport. When we got to the airport, we went through security and found ourselves a seat to wait for our flight.
After boarding and getting settled an airport staff member pushed a traveler in a wheelchair on to the plane. The flight attendant asked if someone in the second row (where Dad and I were seated) could move to the back of the plane and switch seats with this gentleman. Momma moved to the back, Dad moved to her seat and I was lucky enough to get the privilege of sitting next to one of the kindest souls God put on this earth.
It was apparent that the airline staff gets zero training on how to safely transfer customers because to be honest, if I wasn’t sitting there it would have been a total shit show. They didn’t know how to properly line up the chairs or how to safely lift him without hurting themselves (the airline is begging for a lawsuit if you ask me…there will be staff injured from not being properly trained).
After getting him safely in the seat, I got to talking to my new friend AJ. He was so thankful for all the help and for getting him comfortable. He was flying home from two weeks at camp… a place for disabled and able-bodied people to come together to make movies. So cool.
It wasn’t long before he and I dozed off. A short 50 minutes later our plane landed. Passengers hurried off the plane to get to where they were headed. I sat patiently with my friend even though he insisted I could step around him. I told him I wanted to make sure he was transferred properly and that I was a nursing student. I told AJ that nurses don’t clock in and out and that there was no way I was leaving. In the half hour he and I spent on the plane waiting for the wheelchair we got to talk more about his camp.
He told me there was a documentary made about his camp (he failed to tell me he was the star of the film). They make REAL movies…in LA and camp is the place where he feels most like himself. I mentally took note of everything he was saying so I could learn more. The camp meets NINE times a year. None of campers pay to go, and none of the able-bodied people are payed to be there. It is purely out of the goodness of their hearts. I love it.
Of course the second I got home I googled and rented the documentary. Becoming Bulletproof is absolutely incredible. AJ and his best friends get to live with a purpose and see their dreams of seeing their name in lights. Seriously…how did I get lucky enough to meet such a cool person?
I highly encourage you to rent Becoming Bulletproof. Learn about AJ’s story along with the other campers (Jeremy was also on our flight…I wish I had the opportunity to hang out with him too). I loveeee AJ’s story of overcoming obstacles and smiling threw the storm.
I never would have though that I would be sitting next to a movie star on my flight home from Vermont. Our quick 24 hour trip up was so fun…I will have a full post on it later this week, but
I just had to share with you how I met AJ. I hope you take the time to watch the movie. I promise it will change your perception of people living with disabilities.
xoxo,
K
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