#ShareTheAware

2015-01-12 Posted By Jenna

"I write because I know there will come a day when I’ll be unable to write anymore — a day when I won’t be around to explain Ceci’s disability to others. And when that day comes, I write this to ask a favor or two of you: Please accept, encourage and support her. Please tell her how much potential she possesses — how much beauty and good she has to give to the rest of the world. And above all else, please love her.” - Ali Cummins

I read those words on December 31, 2014, and I knew I had to do something.

I had to do something to show Ali Cummins that her words had been heard, and that she had someone behind her to build the world she wants for Ceci.

I had to do something to make sure that the world was ready to embrace Ceci when her mom couldn’t.

I had to do something for my own selfish reasons - I, too, want to live in a world that accepts me, encourages me, supports me and tells me how much potential I possess. A world that looks for a person’s strengths, not their weaknesses. Not a world where you can be approached by a complete stranger and asked, “What happened to you?” “What’s wrong with you?” - nothing else - like it’s no big deal.

So, what could I do?

I decided that on January 1, 2015 - I would #ShareTheAware for the whole month.

The premise:

- Every day, pick content to do with a person or people living with a specific medical condition.

- Share that content on Phoenix Attitude’s social media, hash tagging the medical condition’s name and #ShareTheAware.

- Inspire, motivate, educate and/or change someone’s perspective about what living with that condition might mean, and what can be achieved. (Maybe even change the way people stare - from what might be stares of judgment, fear or pity to stares of wondering what their "staree" can do that could totally blow the starer away, if they had the chance to get to know them.)

- Motivate people to share the content.

- Raise awareness.

- Change the world.

- Repeat.

Want to hashtag along? #ShareTheAware to build a world that accepts, encourages, and supports everyone because of the potential they possess. Want to catch up? Simply type "#ShareTheAware" into the search field of Facebook or Twitter and see what we've been up to. If not for yourself, do it for Ali. If not for Ali, do it for Ceci. If not for Ceci, do it for someone you’ve never met - who’s life you can change in less than a minute. Don’t believe me? Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect - the idea that something as subtle as a butterfly flapping its wing can lead to monumental change around the world? Believe me, you have what it takes to change the world!