Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The Inspirational Lewis Hine

This video recently went viral. This video was created to celebrate Lewis Hine's 16th birthday last March 17 but beyond that, it celebrates the power of the human spirit and the incomparable value of life. At 17 months old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and over the course of his life, he's had 13 brain surgeries already. As if that wasn't enough, he regularly has seizures. Despite all this, Lewis has maintained a positive yet realistic outlook in life. He knows he's drawn the short straw but, as he says in his video, he has coping mechanisms to help him deal with his situation. To top it all off, he even founded Friend Finder. This project aims to help kids who miss a lot of school and can't form relationships with other kids their age form friendships with other kids in similar situations. I have to say I am so inspired by Lewis that I felt compelled to share this.



Of all the lines he says in this video, the one that I found most powerful was this: "My illness may define the length of my life, but it won't define how I live it." It is extremely sad to know that he understands that his illness may not allow him to live the average human lifespan and his maturity to accept this mortality is sobering and humbling.

It is fantastic that throughout this lifelong ordeal, he has found a voice and continues to make a difference through social innovation by creating Friend Finder. You can learn more about it at http://www.lewishine.co.uk/. You can also check out this video:


video uploaded in youtube by Lily Freeston

I wish Lewis a belated happy birthday and I wish him and his project more power and more success.

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