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What You Don't See Here
'It's a picture that speaks a thousand words': Sharon shares the moving story behind this holiday snap
Sharon Myers’ son Noah has Escobar syndrome and has never walked unaided.
EACH WEEK, A different Irish parent chats us through a family photo from Instagram and explains what was really going on outside the frame – from tantrums to toilet disasters.
Fancy taking part? Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature.
This week, Sharon Myers (@ourwheelybigjourney) chatted us through a happy snap of her eight-year-old son Noah on a ski trip.
“Noah has a very rare syndrome called Escobar syndrome and will be a wheelchair user for life,” says Sharon. “I’m a full time carer for Noah, a taxi for my daughter Sophie (13) and a housewife for Denis (my husband).”
Tell us a bit about this photo. What inspired you to take it?
“This photo was taken on a ski trip we took in 2016. It was Noah’s first ski trip and I took this at the top of the mountain before we skied down.
“He absolutely loved the trip. During the day, Noah and I would explore the town and took bus trips to other towns and we would meet the rest of our group for the afternoon and have fun in the snow.”
What’s one thing that’s going on in this photo that you wouldn’t know from looking at it?
“Noah can’t walk – he has never walked unaided. Noah is a full-time wheelchair user and we took him skiing so he could experience something the rest of us had previously. We hired boots, skis and a helmet for Noah just like any other person would as we wanted him to have the full experience, and he went skiing one of the days between his dad’s legs.”
Did it take many attempts to get the right shot?
“This was just a pure luck shot. Denis let go of Noah for two seconds and I captured the shot. It’s a picture that speaks a thousand words: “Your only limitation is your imagination.”
Do you have a family photo from Instagram with a great behind-the-scenes story? The day at the beach when the little one ingested a mouthful of sand – or the smiley photo taken just minutes after a tantrum? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature in What You Don’t See Here.
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