Hall-Leo_Ween 2013

Fans of Leo, It’s October, which is a favorite time of year for many of us because of the colors, the crisp air, the ripe pumpkins, and the celebration of Hal-LEO-ween! Leo is counting the days to his 5th birthday (yes—he’s a great counter!), and we are counting the days to gather our community of Leo supporters to celebrate his 5th birthday with love and support for him, Cora, and Jim. We often begin these letters with a Leo update and story. Here’s a little different birthday story: This story is about Alba and Anastasia—fabulous twins born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Alba has nonverbal quad CP, just like Leo, while Anastasia has the ability to speak. Both Alba and Anastasia, like Leo, are bright, and they are challenged by living in bodies that don’t respond to their brains’ directives. Alba and Anastasia are 29 years old this year, and both have gone to college—Alba to Queens College of New York, and Anastasia to Georgetown. Anastasia is now beginning graduate school at the London School of Economics. These fabulous young women’s accomplishments are incredible to imagine, and they are also possible for Leo. This Hall-LEO-ween, we invite you to dare to invest in and dream of Leo’s future. Ultimately, it is the gesture of our communal gift that is enormous. This year marks the 4th year that we have returned as a community connected only by a little boy who knows that his body doesn’t always cooperate with his intentions but that he is loved and supported. He has us—an extended group of family, friends, friends of friends, and generous strangers who join together at his birthday to cheer for him. Leo’s future is bright because you are part of the constellation of stars lighting Leo’s path. At whatever level you can, we invite you to contribute to Leo’s 5th birthday present and to share this letter with neighbors, friends, and family who might consider joining us. To contribute through PayPal, go to http://www.leotruefrost.blogspot.com. Alternatively, you can mail contributions in the form of a check (made out to C. Cora True-Frost or Jim True-Frost) to: Sydney Foster 4512 Riverdale Rd. Riverdale, MD 20737 Thank you for considering being a part of this annual effort to support this sweet boy. A special thank you to Liz Rynes, Dawn Boudria, Kayla Laynes, Rachel Ceruti, and all who recently supported their leadership to raise the funds for a special bicycle for Leo. Last May, Dr. Jan prescribed a Freedom Concepts DCP16 bicycle for Leo and allowed him to test drive one. To no one’s surprise, he loved it! Speaking of wheels, this year our dear Leo is considering being Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or a red sports car for his Halloween/birthday costume. :) He’s got a need for speed and for the magic love of all his angels. Happy Hal-LEO-ween again to all! With thanks and appreciation, Leo’s Angels Maud Abeel Alisa Berger Dana Callahan Sydney Foster Alisa Newman Hood Julie Johnson McVeigh Patrick McVeigh Amanda Pustilnik