Casey Deakins - Fall 2005

Meet Casey Deakins, our newest CCA Grad. Casey, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, graduated cum laude from Pedro Menendez High School last spring and is now enrolled in St. Johns River Community College, where she plans to pursue training to be a radiology technician.

Casey had a great senior year: She played percussion in the Falcon Regiment Marching Band, won a trophy for her multimedia presentation at the district Future Business Leaders of America, and looked beautiful for her senior prom!

She continues to take piano lessons and enjoys hanging out with friends and taking care of her nieces and nephew. She also enjoys horseback riding every chance she gets.

Casey, who has Apert Syndrome, enjoys life and is generally cheerful and enthusiastic. She has, of course, faced the same issues that most of CCA’s kids have faced: facial differences, surgeries, teasing, and, sometimes, low self-esteem.

Her advice to the younger kids is to try to ignore stares and teasing and know in your heart that you are a worthy human being. She thanks God for all her friends, family and teachers who respected her as an individual and looked beneath the surface to get to know her and her capabilities.

She urges parents and others to allow each person with disabilities to be as independent and “normal” as possible and always to keep expectations for the person high! She says, “All we want is a chance to prove that we are capable people and have so much to give! Please give us that chance!”

We wish Casey best of luck as she pursues her college studies and look forward to seeing her at the retreat in Pennsylvania — her tenth one to attend!

If you would like to share your story with CCA, please send an email to Annie Reeves at areeves@ccakids.com. If your story is chosen, with your permission, we will edit and publish it in the CCA newsletter, on the Web site or use it for public awareness programs. Not all stories will be selected.

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