MY HUSBAND Mike and I have an adult disabled child, Hannah, who was born with cerebral palsy and diagnosed in 2008 with multiple sclerosis. Hannah has been totally in a wheelchair since she was 5 years old. She is now 29.

Hannah’s favorite thing to do is to go out and eat. With Hannah having the MS we do not know what her future holds. And we want to give her the best life that we can possibly give her. She is our special angel.

I have been noticing that when we get out of the van and go into a restaurant that there are times when its difficult for me to open the door. Through all the years of caregiving I have damaged my own back and I have days when I can barely walk. Hannah is also legally blind so she cannot see well to drive her motorized chair. So sometimes we have to wait until Mike closes the lift and locks up the van to go into eat. I have noticed all of the young people (teens) that will break their neck to run up there and open the door for us to get into the restaurant. And the sad thing is that people our age (50s and older) just kind of look at us or stare and walk right on by.

We took her to the Taco Bell to eat one night this week. It happened to be one of my bad days when I could not lift the door open. And so there Hannah and I stood waiting on Mike so he could get the door open for us.

There was a group of three teens getting out of their car at the other end of the Taco Bell. They hurried and got up there so they could open the door for Hannah. It is not the first time that we have had young people to run to open the door for Hannah. This has happened many many times. But its always a young teen who rushes to open the door. This is just one example of how teens today are not the heartless or uncaring young people we sometimes think they are.

I thanked the young men for opening the door for us, and he looked at me and said, “Ma’am you know its our generation, and we were taught to respect those that are disabled...” I am 53 years old myself, and in our generation we were taught to ignore the disabled or shun them. I take my hat off to all the young people in this town. I have saw more good than bad in the teens of today.

I just thought that people should know this as the teens of today seemingly have more manners than we give them credit for.

May God bless all of the teens in this city for showing kindness and compassion to our daughter Hannah.