It was hard not to notice when I walked into Mrs. Conroe’s class on my first day of my third grade school year. It was hard not to notice the loud beeps and the low whispers of my fellow classmates. It was hard not to notice that there was not only a teacher in the classroom, but another adult; a nurse. But, what wasn’t hard to notice was the girl. The girl who had long, beautiful blonde hair and a headband that read, “princess”, that held her head in place. It wasn’t hard to notice the girl with the deep brown eyes that captivated the room. It wasn’t hard to notice the girl in the wheelchair. The girl that everyone was scared of, and couldn’t seem to get themselves to look in that direction more that two seconds. The girl who at five years went to the store with her mom and her sister and didn’t know that on the way home her life would change forever.

As I walked in the classroom my eyes immediately drew to her. Being the young girl I was, I couldn’t help but stare. But, there she sat. Alone in the corner of the room with only her nurse to her left. I can still hear the humming of her breathing machine, and the beeps of the heart monitor on her chair. After a solid minute of standing in the door way, examining her, I made my way to her corner. In amazement the nurse asked, “Yes ma’am what can i do for you?”, I responded, “Is this seat taken?”. To this day I can still see the light in her eyes. The joy she felt when someone wanted to sit next to her.

Over the years there were many lunches spent together, countless sleepovers, and infinite memories made. When I was in third grade I met the girl who would change my outlook on life. The girl who was paralyzed from the neck down but started each day singing praises to the Lord Almighty. The girl who became my best friend and made me the woman I am today.

Addison Nicole Stroud passed away February 11, 2014 from heart failure. But, her legacy still lives on. Everyday I live my life to make Addison proud. To give any and everyone the respect they deserve no matter there mental, racial, or physical stance. If anything is taken away from this today I ask that you take away always having an open heart, and open mind, because you never know when life is going to throw you something you can’t handle. Look at it like this… you were given the thing you think you can’t handle to show you that you can, and you will make a difference.