Jan 20th - 3E Love's International Day of Acceptance

Embrace. Empower. Educate. Love Life.

This is the motto of 3E LOVE, an organization created by a spirited young woman and her brother with a vision to change the perception of disability. At the core of this growing movement is the "wheelchair heart logo." It is a symbol of love and acceptance.

The originator of this symbol was a beautiful woman named Annie who died unexpectedly on January 20, 2009. Just two years younger than me, she had not yet turned 25. Five years later, 3E Love has gained momentum and January 20 is now the International Day of Acceptance.

The 3E Love wheelchair heart logo can be seen in this image from their website, which is also my facebook cover photo.

Our family t-shirts arrived in the mail on Friday, just in time for us to wear them tomorrow in support of this special day. Naturally, I ordered Adria and I purple shirts, our shared favorite color :) I tried to take a selfie shot with the girls and me, but the one with the two of them on the bed shows off the shirts better.

As part of the International Day of Acceptance, 3E Love hosted a facebook essay contest requesting people to share what this symbol means to them. There are almost 300 submissions that you can read and vote for. I entered the contest and through that I am now in contact with an impressive teenage girl who was born with spina bifida at the same level as my little five year old. She also wrote an essay that encourages me and gives me hope that my daughter will continue to have that kind of spunk and vitality for life.

Here are both of our essays. You can vote once a day for the next five days!

3E Love Essay - Julleanna

“Do you want to terminate the pregnancy?”
That horrible question was asked of me at age 26 when I was 20 weeks pregnant with my first child. We had just learned that the baby girl inside me had a birth defect called spina bifida. She may never walk or urinate on her own and she would need several surgeries along the way. Life would be difficult for her and us. The doctors were offering us an “easy” way out.

But to me, the question came as total shock. Is our society really so unaccepting of differences and disabilities that I should be given the option of denying my firstborn life simply because her tiny body is different than mine? Not only is ending the pregnancy offered to parents of unborn babies with a birth defect, but in many areas around the globe it is regularly encouraged.

My answer to their question was a resounding NO! Today, my daughter is a beautiful five year old who loves going to school, playing dress-up, baking with mommy, and dancing at parties. Though many with spina bifida require wheelchairs, our little girl learned to walk with a walker and now has impressive mobility with her leg braces/AFOs. She accepts the fact that she’s not potty-trained like her peers. She is a socialite and excellent conversationalist, and I can’t wait to see the profound impact she will have on the world.
And I hope that it is an accepting world, ignoring her differences and simply noticing her for the incredible person she is.

I have only recently encountered the 3E Love symbol and am so encouraged by this “Empowered movement that Educates others to Embrace diversity and Love Life by seeing beyond abilities.”

When I was asked that question, I knew nothing about spina bifida and had little experience with special needs, but it is now just a part of our daily lives. It’s not always easy and convenient, but I love my daughter exactly as she is and she absolutely Loves Life!

One of the most significant messages that I hope is spread and shared through the 3E Love movement is to not only LOVE LIFE but also to GIVE LIFE to those with disabilities and birth defects. I hope that parents say yes to life and that the question of termination is taken out of the equation. As Annie, the creator of 3E Love, was able to show during her short life, disability does not mean inability. People with different abilities are critical contributors to our community, our country and our world. 
Your Vote is appreciated at http://bit.ly/1cB3FKx

3E Love Essay - CamoGurl

I’m Hope, I’m sixteen, I love animals, my socks never match, my favorite color is pink, I’m stubborn as heck, and I was born with Spina Bifida. I find it funny as I’m sitting here typing this, autocorrect has highlighted “spina” and “myelomeningocele”. That’s a prime example of how uneducated most of our society is about Spina Bifida, and most congenital disabilities. Well, I’m attempting to change that. I’ve been through a lot of challenges in my life but I’ve learned through and through, life goes on if you let it. And everything happens for a reason. The quality of life and civil rights has come a long way for people with disabilities.

But I’ll be darned if we’re done yet. Since around 4th grade I wanted to wear high heels like other girls and I was always told I couldn’t because AFO’s couldn’t be made for the alignment. Well, seven years later. After finding the right orthotist willing to give it a go, I finally got it. You have to have perseverance and determination with everything you do in life. Doctors don’t know best. If you want something, get it. Don’t let anyone ever tell you, you can’t. Can’t is a frame of mind. Not an unattainable action. So fight for what you want. And never budge. Being born with this disability has caused me to have to wear leg braces to help me walk, several surgeries for bone correction, and years of emotional trauma.

Entering into my teen years was a hard time for me. I knew I was “different” from most people, but I didn’t really even understand the disability I had. There are several things that are embarrassing to talk to your parents about, and this was one of them. I started researching on the internet to find any and all information I could get. I got some results, but it was all very clinical and not in depth at all.

That’s how I developed my organization CamoGurl, I want there to be a place for teenage girls with Spina Bifida to get real answers about their disability, their body, and themselves. I understand that a lot of what I expose on my website will come as a shock to those who don’t go through it. And influence their personal opinion of me. But I’m okay with that. The only way to create change is to make it. Growing up isn’t easy, and having a disability doesn’t make it any easier. But I want to help teen girls going through it by showing how through my personal experience I’ve learned how to camouflage into the rest of society, while being an advocate for change.

When I came across 3E Love I absolutely… loved it. Speaking out about all kinds of disabilities is the only way to change the societal perception of them. And that’s what the Wheelchair Heart Symbol represents for me. Change. And Change for the good. A person is a person. No matter what. And it’s time we step out of silence.

Vote for CamoGurl at this link http://bit.ly/1ahWVOz
Read more about this beautiful young woman at www.camogurl.com