♪♪♪
Hi there boys and girls,
I'm Abby Brown from Iowa PBS.
Today, I want to tell you about a very special friend of mine.
Her name is Stella.
When Stella was just one month old,
she lost all control of her muscles.
The doctors said that she had
Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA for short.
They told her parents
that she might only live
a couple of months
or even weeks.
But thanks to her family,
and her community,
and medical science,
today, Stella is a teenager.
She loves people.
She loves technology.
While she does have to use a wheelchair,
her story of beating the odds
is so inspiring,
that my friend Matthew decided to write a book about her.
Today, I want to share that story with you.
The story of Stella from Pella
And her magic shoe.
Narrator: Stella from Pella
and Her Magic Shoe.
By Matthew Morgan.
Illustrations by Jim Messing
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Things are never as they seem,
including this story too.
A story about Stella,
a place called Pella,
and her magic shoe.
Pella is full of colorful flowers,
a small and local town.
The children would capture fireflies
long after the sun went down.
Tulips grow in so many colors
during the sunny spring day.
The smell of baked goods
fills the air in every possible way.
When Stella was just one month old.
Doctors had news to give.
Her life might be short
from a disease with weeks or months to live.
A great magician heard the news
from very far away.
He began to work on something
big to give her one day.
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Her wheelchair kept her on the ground.
a burden with limits too.
But inside her heart
she held a secret known by very few.
Stella contained a special light
visible near or far.
Even her name carried
the love of a bright shining star.
Although she’s not able
to do most things
like other kids can do,
that great magician far away was making a special shoe.
With that handmade shoe complete,
the skies would be the limit
and Stella would do anything
once she stepped within it.
When Stella was ten, defying the odds,
and still going strong,
the people of Pella
watched her grow up and knew all along...
The light she had deep in her heart
gave power to change the world.
and bring magical hope
made of dreams to all the boys and girls.
And then that day finally arrived
for Stella to have her shoe.
People around her watched
with smiles as the sun shined in the skies.
Stella was beaming head to toe,
you could see it in her eyes.
The following days, all were amazed
at things Stella could do.
Singing, parades, cheerleading
all with her magical shoe.
But the power wasn't in the shoe,
not once piece or part.
The magic was always a part of Stella,
deep inside her heart.
That special light inside us all all
permits our thoughts and dreams.
And gives strength to rise
over the odds despite the world's schemes.
And now you know the secret
of Stella and her magic shoe.
The light she has is all around
and resides in me and you.
One simple thought from deep within
can change the way we feel.
And set us free to go anywhere
like a spinning wheel.
So if you gaze upon your reflection
and start feeling blue,
remember this story,
close your eyes
and find your magic shoe.
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