Witnessing Inspiration - Savannah

Below is a Facebook Post by STOP the HATE: 

Oma has had the privileged of knowing this young lady and her mothers her entire life.  Go Savannah Banana.  With the Olympics in the news these days, I wanted to take time to recognize this young lady who has earned her gold and the hearts of those around her. It should be noted that Savannah's moms work with her every day to improve her quality of life - great job to all three!

This week there have been many that I would say are very deserving of the title. However, the one that I would like to recognize is one that I have the great pleasure of calling a close friend. She hides in California, but is always in the hearts of everyone around her both far and near. Today's inspiration is Savannah and her moms Nancy and Jan Candelaria. I am very pleased every time I hear of the great things that this young lady does. She and her moms have been showing over and over again that they are able to overcome all odds.

Savannah faces challenges that many of us would never even begin to imagine, but she does not let that stop her. One way that her moms have found to help her overcome was through gymnastics. Her gymnastics has excelled over a short time. She is amazing, and you can see her passion in everything that she does.

She does not just overcome her own obstacles. She also does what she can to help others overcome theirs. She recently was part of the idea behind a lending library for people that read the Rupert's Tales books. She felt that no one should have to go without reading, just because they can not afford the book. So, her book that she earned from a writing contest, was the first to be donated to the cause.

She continues to stun the world around her, because she has been through doctors and therapy that would give the answer of "Sorry, but she will not be able to ....." Yet, this young lady continues to prove them wrong. Tell Savannah she can not do something amazing, and she will prove you wrong without a second thought.

While she is a young lady that may have a few obstacles lining her path, she will not just beat those obstacles, but she will do so in a way that is sure to continue to inspire the world around her.

The picture of Savannah holding her award was the award she received from qualifying to go to the state championships. The portrait was taken, when she was the youngest in her level 3 to become state champion in Trampoline and Tumbling last year.

The last picture is her with the coach, George Hery, who is a nationally famous coach. He was the first medalist in tramp and tumbling in the 60's when the sport was first allowed into the Olympics. He is the father of the modern competition trampoline. He recognized the need for many autistic kids to move constantly and created routines that are now internationally standards.