Rolling with Sarah

A little flashback to 2014, my early wheelchair days. A bit of a reflection on an important interaction I had.

So my reason for being in a chair is due to complications from childhood cancer treatment. As many are aware, when you have a life-threatening disease as a child under 18 you are granted a “wish”. Mine came from Children’s Wish, which has now amalgamated with Make-A-Wish. Great organizations! My wish was to meet the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.

For my wish my family and I got to stay in Times Square, New York City. What an experience! We got to see a Broadway show, check out museums, and generally explore the city. I was so happy that the hop-on hop-off buses were able to accommodate my chair with no problem. At the time of my wish, I was an ambulatory wheelchair user and in my final stages of being able to take a few steps. To conserve energy though I was pretty much in my chair the whole time we were in New York.

While the city was great, the main thing I want to reflect on in this article was meeting Buddy. The first thing he did when we met was kneel down, so he was at my level. I know this action may be a little controversial, as I know I can communicate with someone standing from my chair perfectly fine, but I respected this choice because of the intention behind it.  Buddy treated me as his equal, on a level playing field. He was able to look me in the eye as I showed him pictures of cakes I had created and we were able to share our reactions to my work. In my eyes, he saw me as a baker who just happened to use a wheelchair. 

The entire time we were working together on my wish cake we were a team. He not once assumed there was anything I couldn’t do. To this day I remember the respect I felt. I was not a charity case, I was a fellow cake artist.

To choose a wish is a big choice. It can be overwhelming, but every wish is a magical experience.  I will never forget my wish. The validation I felt from Buddy was a once in a lifetime opportunity and his kindness has had a lasting impact on my life.   He met me where I was at and I felt seen and important despite my disability.