Magical Mendy

What a special, meaningful and beautiful speech by Zelda

Zelda wrote every word herself, and then stood up and delivered it in front of 400 people. That takes so much courage, and you could see just how proud she was to say it for Mendy.

And honestly, Reuvi was SO proud too, can you tell from his smile but can you blame him?

Zelda is truly such an incredible sister to Mendy. The love, connection and bond they share is something so special to watch.

They are both so blessed to have each other and I feel so blessed to watch their relationship grow.

A class trip should be about making memories, having fun and feeling included and yesterday, Mendy got to do just that.

Not every activity was suitable for Mendy, and getting around the terrain wasn’t always easy with his wheelchair. But instead of letting those barriers stop him from being part of the day, the incredible team at Live Wire made sure he was included, had fun and got to experience the joy of the trip in his own way.

A huge thank you to Jules and the entire Live Wire team for going above and beyond to make Mendy’s day so special.

And thank you to Tahlia, his incredible school aide, and everyone at school who worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure everything was in place so Mendy could participate.

This is what inclusion looks like.
Not pretending every activity works for everyone but finding a way to make sure everyone gets to be part of the fun. ❤️

It’s not just dancing with your child.

It’s knowing everything that came before this moment.
The challenges. The prayers. The hard work. The moments you wondered if you’d ever get to experience this.

And then suddenly… there he is, dancing with his dad at his Bar Mitzvah.
Smiling. Happy. Completely in the moment.

This isn’t just happiness.

This is happiness on another level.

So grateful they caught this moment on video, because I know I’ll want to watch it over and over again.

And I will never, ever take moments like this for granted.

Not a sound in the room.
Everyone was waiting to hear Mendy’s Bar Mitzvah speech.

Mendy may be nonverbal, but he definitely had A LOT to say.

Can you see my excitement? 🥹 I was so excited, turning to his amazing therapist and telling her, “He’s doing it! He’s doing it!”

He had worked so hard for this moment, and seeing him communicate his own words at his Bar Mitzvah was incredibly emotional.

Nonverbal doesn’t mean nothing to say.
Sometimes, it just means finding a different way to be heard.

If I focused on where we couldn’t go, I’d miss the beauty of where we could.

There were stairs, and because of Mendy’s wheelchair, we couldn’t get to the whole waterfall.

And yes, sometimes those moments are hard. It’s easy to focus on what’s inaccessible, what we’re missing, and what should have been possible.

But I chose to look at what we could do.

We found a beautiful spot, took in the view, and made a memory together.

Mendy doesn’t need to experience the world in the exact same way as everyone else for it to be beautiful.

Sometimes, you just have to stop looking at the barriers… and notice the beauty that’s still there. ❤️

Happy birthday to the best Tatty, Dad anyone could ask for.

I may not be able to say, “I love you, Dad,” but if hugs could talk, this one would say everything.

I love you beyond words. I count my blessings every day that I have you as my Dad, caring, loving, patient, and always believing in me.

You will stop at nothing to help me succeed, give me opportunities, and help me be the very best I can be.

I might not be able to say it with words, but I hope you always know just how much you mean to me.

Happy birthday, Dad.
I love you more than words could ever say.

Mendy right in the middle, with his friends dancing all around him, celebrating their friend’s Bar Mitzvah.

These are the moments I dreamed about. Seeing him right there in the middle of it all, surrounded by his friends and fully part of the celebration, means more than words can say.

Inclusion is possible. Belonging is possible. And when we make space for everyone, beautiful moments like this happen.

This will never get old. Ever.

Diana may be here to help with the housework, but the love and care she gives Mendy is something so much more.

Mendy loves the sound of the vacuum, and when he crawled over to Diana, she didn’t just move him out of the way. She let him help.

She saw an opportunity to include him, connect with him and let him be part of the moment.

It was such a simple thing, but watching it reminded me that sometimes the most meaningful moments come from the smallest acts of love.

Thank you, Diana, for always seeing Mendy, including him and making him feel so valued.