I Beat the Odds (21 page)

On the other hand, I’m glad the movie was a big enough hit that it could reach some kids who are in the same position I used to be in when I was in foster care. If my story in
The Blind Side
can help inspire them to find a way out of the ghetto, then it’s all worth it to me.

E
very week, I get big boxes of fan mail that have been sent to the Ravens, to my parents’ house, and to Ole Miss. Many are autograph requests or people wanting me to make an appearance at one event or another. I really appreciate the enthusiasm my fans show, but the volume is always way more than I can possibly handle, so I end up having to turn down a whole lot of requests.

There are some letters, though, that stand out to me. A handful of letters from just a typical week paints a pretty good picture of the kinds of people who have written to me because they’ve been touched by my story—by
our
story, really. What these letters tell me is that kids like me aren’t the exception. There are a lot of us out there whose family life is unfortunately similar to mine, and whose struggles sound familiar. These letters come to me from Maryland, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oregon, California, Ohio—all over our country in every state and every community there are kids who are hurting. Some of these kids have had people step up to show them love; others are still waiting for someone to do that. All of them are desperate for a role model.

The stories I share below are all taken from just a couple of days’ worth of fan mail. Some of the letters made me cheer, some made me smile, some made me want to cry. Some tell long stories and others are just a few lines on notebook paper. But all of them are an important look into a world many of us might never see otherwise.

I want to include them here not as a way to pat myself on the back for the positive words they give me, but because I want people to understand how big the need is, and how clearly kids like I was are hurting for someone to look up to and teach them how to make the right choices and reach their full potential in life.

“E” bravely shares her own experiences and struggles as she writes about being rejected by her mother while still in high school, losing an athletic scholarship in college, struggling with addictions, and being homeless until one woman stepped up to mentor her and a loving family stepped in to give her a home.

In a completely different kind of letter, Molly writes to share her story of a family who opened their hearts to a child who needed a home:

Betty describes her own experiences in reaching out:

Lance and Becky share about the need they saw in their community and how it has helped their family grow in wonderful and unexpected ways:

Other people, like Ms. Maureen Long of Mississippi Children’s Home Services, share encouragement about how my story has helped children and the teachers who work with them to find hope and promise in the future:

Some of the most touching letters I receive are from groups like the YMCA/YWCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Ms. Charlene Hawkins, the Program Manager for Youth Services at the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, has shared with me the letters of several young people in her organization:

D. writes:

E. writes:

K. writes:

L. writes:

Another wonderful set of letters arrived from Ms. Stacy Rulon at Sunrise Children’s Services. She explains the organization’s efforts:

Unfortunately, because of the complications of getting permission from the parents or legal guardians of these children, I won’t be able to quote directly from what the students wrote. But just to give you an idea of what these letters said, I will summarize some of them.

One girl wrote to say that she had been in juvenile detention for about a year and didn’t think she would even finish high school. But the movie showed her that success isn’t just for kids from solid backgrounds and stable homes—it’s something anyone can pursue, and she is now inspired to go after real success, too.

Another girl talked about living on the streets after being neglected by her mother. A friend’s aunt took her in and did not give up on her, even though she kept messing up. She is so grateful for that woman’s concern and wants to know what advice I could share about staying off the streets and out of trouble for good. Another letter told a similar story, and how learning about my life made her decide not to give up and motivated her to turn her life around for her siblings to see and learn from.

There was a letter that talked about living in fear of facing life’s problems. This young person had been taken from her mother when she was twelve and felt like she had no way to stand up for herself and make a better life. But she said that my story made her believe that good grades and personal courage were possible for kids like her, and she thanked me for giving her that hope.

A teenager wrote to say that
The Blind Side
had been shown in the group home where she was living and it caused her attitude to change. She realized she couldn’t just blame her circumstances and feel sorry for herself; in order to have a better chance at life she needed to change her own behavior and refuse to let other people’s mistakes hold her back.

A different teenager told me how she had attempted suicide because she felt so alone, but her foster sister found her and begged her to stop, explaining that she was loved and wanted and not alone anymore. After watching the movie about my life, she realized for the first time that she wasn’t the only kid who had felt those negative things. She saw that there was a hopeful future for kids like us if we just accepted the help and support of the people around us.

One girl explained how she and her older sister had been shuffled between relatives and then finally turned over to state custody. Her sister aged out of the system at eighteen, but this girl was still waiting and hoping for a family that might take her in as she finished school—because she is determined to graduate. My movie, she said, showed her that the only way to succeed is to believe that you can do it and that you are worth the effort.