Posted by Howard Richman on August 07 2008 at 08:26:45:
An article by Talia Thompson in the Ventura County (CA) Star tells the story. Here is a selection:
In the youth building at the Ventura County Fair, 14-year-old Sam Coultas stands 6 feet tall, wears black size 15 Converse high-top sneakers and carries a mess of colorful balloons in his pockets.HowardThe Ventura resident grins at the ribbon declaring his watercolor painting — a woman saying "Meet me at the fair" on a cell phone as she and several children walk past food vendors and rides — the first place winner in the Fair Theme category....
Sam completed the paintings while battling chronic pain from a condition that left his muscles so weak his kneecaps began to turn backward and his heart needed to be placed in a heart holster, said his mother, Sharon Coultas....
Sam was pulled out of school and enrolled in Homestead School, a home school program run by Ventura Unified School District, which gave him more flexibility with doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions.
During this time, his mother bought him a book on how to make balloon animals, and Sam began making balloon animals and hats twice a month for children from low-income families waiting for chemotherapy and other treatments.
"Most of the time, I try to be a good role model for kids," said Sam, who never leaves home without a pocketful of balloons....
"I´ve been a Christian my whole life, and that taught me that even though we go through a lot of bad stuff, everything will be all right in the end," Sam said.