Vickie Tolman, daughter of state Senator Steven Tolman of Brighton, will receive this year's Profiles in Children's Courage Award from the Franciscan Hospital for Children.
At age eleven, she suffered from the sudden onset of paralysis of the legs, difficulty speaking -- and, at least for a while, she needed a feeding tube. Her story has a positive ending: after eleven years of recovery, she now appears able to lead a normal adult life, living on her own and working at the hospital's preschool daycare facility.
The Boston Globe carries a touching story on her in their Living/Arts section. Senator Tolman "has seldom spoken about his daughter's condition publicly," but did so for the story, talking about her challenges while growing up and recovering from the illness. I have heard a few longtime Brighton residents mention privately and quietly that his children have had some challenges to their health, but nobody has given any details beyond that -- an indication of how effectively Senator Tolman has closely-guarded the privacy of his family. The Globe story is definitely worth a read.
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1 comment:
The Tolmans are a good, nice family. This was a very touching story.
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