Share a Smile to Spread The Happiness
"Jacob's smile, the one thing that took so many months to develop,
was a turning point for me. I didn't realize it at the time, but in hindsight,
that one moment allowed me to stop looking at Jacob with sadness."
- Marcy White
Jacob Trossman's mother
My Inspiration
It all started with a smile...
We affiliate the word "disabled" with the lack of ability to pursue all that life has to offer. By definition, disabled means, "(of a person) having a physical or mental condition that limits movements, senses, or activities." Contrary to popular beliefs, when I see the word disabled I see a different word within the letters; "able". Among many amazing qualities, the most prominent thing I see in Jacob Trossman is that he is always able to make others smile.
My friend, Jacob Trossman (photo right), is a 15-year-old boy, who celebrated his birthday on May 15th, 2017. Jacob Trossman has Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease (PMD), which limits his physical and verbal abilities, yet his intellect is impressive. The National Institute of Health describes Pelizaeus- Merzbacher Disease as a rare, progressive, degenerative central nervous system disorder in which coordination, motor abilities, and intellectual function deteriorate. The prognosis is poor, and deterioration is progressive. PMD is carried on the X-chromosome, and the disease has no cure and no treatment available. Jacob and his family have been battling this condition, but Jacob prevails and manages to enjoy the things in life that make him happy.
With his first smile at 11 months, Jacob's smile has never failed to light up rooms and spread the love. What inspired me to create #SmileForSmiles is this one boy and the power of his smile. I want to spread smiles - the most basic human gesture of love and happiness - to help everyone focus on the "able" in disabled.
My friend, Jacob Trossman (photo right), is a 15-year-old boy, who celebrated his birthday on May 15th, 2017. Jacob Trossman has Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease (PMD), which limits his physical and verbal abilities, yet his intellect is impressive. The National Institute of Health describes Pelizaeus- Merzbacher Disease as a rare, progressive, degenerative central nervous system disorder in which coordination, motor abilities, and intellectual function deteriorate. The prognosis is poor, and deterioration is progressive. PMD is carried on the X-chromosome, and the disease has no cure and no treatment available. Jacob and his family have been battling this condition, but Jacob prevails and manages to enjoy the things in life that make him happy.
With his first smile at 11 months, Jacob's smile has never failed to light up rooms and spread the love. What inspired me to create #SmileForSmiles is this one boy and the power of his smile. I want to spread smiles - the most basic human gesture of love and happiness - to help everyone focus on the "able" in disabled.
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"Jacob's smile reflects the giant, happy, goofy, playful child that he is. |
About My Project
Smile for Smiles
Smiling is contagious. It's hard to resist someone who flashes you a big smile. I live my life joyfully, and I believe that making others happy is an important priority. A smile is such a powerful gesture - no sound is made, yet a lot is said with a smile.
I am a grade 10 student and as part of the school curriculum, my grade was required to conduct a personal project, involving something that you are passionate about and have a personal connection to. My inspiration, Jacob Trossman, is the root of my project and his cheerful personality is what sparked my interest in creating this #SmileForSmiles movement to raise awareness of kids with disabilities. I have made custom SmileForSmiles t-shirts that can be personalized on the back with: "I smile for:________________" (see right). Individuals are encouraged to purchase t-shirts, with all proceeds going to Cure PMD to fund for research.
We usually smile for a reason, however the subconscious action can sometimes go unnoticed as to what genuinely makes you happy in life. This back of the t-shirts will encourage others to appreciate the things in life that make us smile (friends, family, ice cream, sports..etc) , and thinking about what makes us happy will trigger a smile. Spreading smiles will spread happiness.
To support my project, people are encouraged to purchase t-shirts but, more importantly, take a photo of themselves smiling to Facebook with the tag #smileforsmiles. The 'Smile for Smiles' Facebook page will aggregate all the tagged photos to spread the network of smiles. As you post and spread the photos, you spread the love and happiness.
The goal of my project is to destroy the stigmas kids with disabilities face. Jacob is a good-humoured prankster. He is not just a boy in a wheelchair. Despite intellectual, physical, or verbal barriers, children with disabilities are very similar to those without; both smile when they are happy. In fact, we are all similar in that we all have differences, and we should be accepted for our differences rather than criticized or stereotyped.
I am a grade 10 student and as part of the school curriculum, my grade was required to conduct a personal project, involving something that you are passionate about and have a personal connection to. My inspiration, Jacob Trossman, is the root of my project and his cheerful personality is what sparked my interest in creating this #SmileForSmiles movement to raise awareness of kids with disabilities. I have made custom SmileForSmiles t-shirts that can be personalized on the back with: "I smile for:________________" (see right). Individuals are encouraged to purchase t-shirts, with all proceeds going to Cure PMD to fund for research.
We usually smile for a reason, however the subconscious action can sometimes go unnoticed as to what genuinely makes you happy in life. This back of the t-shirts will encourage others to appreciate the things in life that make us smile (friends, family, ice cream, sports..etc) , and thinking about what makes us happy will trigger a smile. Spreading smiles will spread happiness.
To support my project, people are encouraged to purchase t-shirts but, more importantly, take a photo of themselves smiling to Facebook with the tag #smileforsmiles. The 'Smile for Smiles' Facebook page will aggregate all the tagged photos to spread the network of smiles. As you post and spread the photos, you spread the love and happiness.
The goal of my project is to destroy the stigmas kids with disabilities face. Jacob is a good-humoured prankster. He is not just a boy in a wheelchair. Despite intellectual, physical, or verbal barriers, children with disabilities are very similar to those without; both smile when they are happy. In fact, we are all similar in that we all have differences, and we should be accepted for our differences rather than criticized or stereotyped.
"One of the main reasons I wrote The Boy Who Can was to show people that Jacob is more than a boy in a wheelchair. He should be defined by all of the things that he is like his sense of humour, his intelligence, his laughter, his smile, before defined by the wheelchair." |
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Jacob is often defined by his disabilities as opposed to the abilities" |
Along with this website, I have created a "Smile For Smiles" Facebook page which will be the base of the project and the platform on which the project will be primarily documented. The posting of photos will be done on primarily on Facebook so that individuals can post their photos with the hashtag #smileforsmiles and tag @hashtagsmileforsmiles, to automatically uploaded to my page. This will allow anyone to click onto the 'Photos of You' section on my page to view all of the photos posted from the project. The collection of smiles will fill up the page and will spread the happiness and love. I encourage to individuals to "Like" my Facebook page, post photos with the hashtag, and 'nominate' their friends to do the same.
My project was launched on May 15th, which is Jacob's 15th birthday. I wanted to give Jacob a birthday present of making him smile, by showing him how much of an inspiration he is to others and how his smile is infectious - even on the Internet! I wanted Jacob to have a truly "happy" birthday and I could think of no better way to do it.
My project was launched on May 15th, which is Jacob's 15th birthday. I wanted to give Jacob a birthday present of making him smile, by showing him how much of an inspiration he is to others and how his smile is infectious - even on the Internet! I wanted Jacob to have a truly "happy" birthday and I could think of no better way to do it.
"There's always that one thing that will make you smile. No matter what. Everyone smiles for different reasons, and various things make certain people smile more than others. However, one thing that will never fail to make me smile is Jacob. It's something about that smile, you're drawn to the endless love Jacob has to give, that's shown through a single smile."
- Hannah, 15
Founder of Smile for Smiles
CONTACT
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Email: hashtagsmileforsmiles@gmail.com
Facebook page: Smile For Smiles @hashtagsmileforsmiles |