He Looks Straight Into The Camera And Says Exactly What Happened To Him. I Just Want To Cry.
Life throws a lot of things at you. This is a beautiful example of the power of staying positive — even when it's hard to see through the fog.
This is Rodney.
And this isn't your typical story of a man living with a disability.
This isn't a story about how "inspiring" Rodney is or how "noble" he is. This is a story about real life.
You see, Rodney is a dancer. He became a dancer after he was paralyzed in a motorbike accident as a young man.
He was a member of a prestigious dance company in the Bay Area. Until he got laid off.
Within a few months' time, he became homeless.
He had to part with almost all of his possessions when it became clear that carrying them around with him was too much of a burden. He spent his nights sleeping on benches down by the water.
It was a dark time in his life, but even in the depths of his despair, he was able to take solace in the beauty of ocean and the birds coming in through the fog. It gave him the strength to heal and to seek out HandUp, the organization that gave him the financial and emotional support he needed to get back on his wheels.
3.5 million Americans are homeless. Not all of them are being reached. Here's how we start.
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