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- Arc Families Speak . . .

Mary Kate Rizzo is a thirteen year old girl. She’s also my funny and crazy cousin. I love to be with her all the time. She learns at the pace of a 5 to 6 year old. Her brain is at a kinder garden level. She has the most caring heart ever. I truly hope her story touches you and hopefully makes you realize how amazing life can be.

I was about one when Mary Kate was born. Her parents are the very dedicated and loving Debbe and Lou Rizzo. Mary Kate was born with Trisamy 4 qt. She was not supposed to live over a year. My Aunt and Uncle took her home to sadly, basically wait for her death. When she was infant she had to have in-house nurses, she also was on many medications. She was on these medications just to make it so that she could do what untroubled babies instantly can do. She has to have open heart surgery as a baby. That is in my opinion one of the riskiest surgeries possible, especially for a baby. I was to young to know, but, her parents must have been wrecks. They would never give up, they would do whatever it took to keep their child alive. Mary Kate, healthy, made it through the surgery. Which alone was spectacular, the bad news was she wasn’t supposed to grow up to do what we take for granted everyday.

When people walk they don’t appreciate how amazing and lucky it is that they can. When people talk they don’t even think to be happy they’re lucky they can. People go to school and think it’s a drag, but, they don’t notice how lucky they are to even have the potential to learn everything those teachers strive to teach them. Mary Kate wasn’t supposed to do any of this.

The doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to walk, she probably wouldn’t talk, maybe just as much as a bay can. She was never going to go to a normal school.

A miracle happened when Mary Kate was born. Her parents and her five brothers and sisters, Jessica, Tony, Jennierose, Nick and Megan were there to support her. She goes to school for mentally challenged children. She’s in a kinder garden level class. She slowly learned all the skills a child can. She learned to walk with a walker. She talks just like a six year old can. Sometimes she is hard to understand, but at least she can talk. She has interests just like everyone else. She has shown me what love is. I have never met anybody as loving as her, she hates when people fight. She cares about her loves ones, she’s the gift of my close family.

Because of Mary Kate I appreciate everything and when I love, I love with all my heart. She’s also the life of the party! She loves music, only upbeat music. She dances and sings when it is on. She’ll make everyone laugh. Her famous line is “What’re you doin’ nowww?”, she just says it like that. When she cries it makes me cry, her nurses us to sing lullabies’ when she was in the hospital so she can’t listen to slow music is upsets her. She’s one of the happiest people I know, I love her more than anything in the world because she’s the reason I love.

Whenever I look at someone who’s different, I am kind to them because I think of them as Mary Kate. Anyone who is mean to anyone who doesn’t deserve it, it is just like being cruel to Mary Kate. I wouldn’t trade Mary Kate and the lessons she’s taught my family and I for the world. To me, Mary Kate represents any unfortunate being in the world , she shows the message that everyone can make it through. She’s a miracle to me.

Shannon K. Broderick

Grade 9 - Abington High School

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