“I’m not used to someone seeing Kaden just for who he is and not for his disability.”  These are the words of a mother who is as grateful as she is heartbroken.

Katie Myers is the proud mother of an 18-month-old son named Kaden.   Katie’s joy of motherhood was interrupted when she learned that Kaden was born with  (SMA).

If you are like me, you know very little about SMA.  According to information at Kaden’s website, his disease:

• is the number 1 genetic killer of children under 2 years of age. More than half of babies diagnosed with SMA won’t see their second birthday.
• destroys motor neurons controlling voluntary movement and can hinder the ability to walk, crawl, sit, roll over, or exhibit head & neck control.
• has the statistical probability of afflicting 1 in every 6,000 live births

The gratitude of Katie Meyers and her appreciation for the manner in which another boy interacted with Kaden is easily seen in the note she posted on Facebook:  “To the little boy at the science museum, I don’t know who you are, but thank you for being amazing. You let my son play and engage with you. You helped him pick up balls from the floor when you saw that he could not. You didn’t ask what was wrong with him or why he couldn’t walk, you just saw him. Kaden is a lot like you, he is very curious and wildly smart. He wants to know how everything works. Thank you for helping him turn the lever when you noticed he was too weak to do it himself. You will probably never see this but just by being you, you make this world better.”

I don’t know Katie or Kaden, but I do know that we can learn a lesson from them:  We need to focus on the innate dignity of the people we meet.

We can do something else:  We can pray for them.