Delaney Michele Israel
2023 Sandra Sagear Wall of Courage Honoree
We are so proud of Delaney Michele Israel. It is with honor and pleasure that I take this opportunity to celebrate my daughter Delaney Michele Israel.
My daughter Delaney Israel will be a junior in the 2023-24 school year. She is a student in the Cognitive Impairment Program at Salem High School. Delaney was a student at Eriksson Elementary receiving some support from the resource room from kindergarten through fourth grade. It was during her fourth-grade school year that it was decided that the demands of the curriculum were truly not appropriate for her. For all who knew Delaney to be bright eyed and happy, saw that light diminish as the expectations of her school work grew to be too challenging for her. At that time, Delaney was moved from our neighborhood school (Eriksson) to Bentley Elementary School where she began her studies within the CI Program. It was clear that being provided with a curriculum that celebrated her strengths and provided the pace and programming for her scope of learning was the best fit for her. She has truly prospered from these experiences and we are very grateful for everyone who has assisted her along the way.
My daughter Delaney has proven what a resilient individual she is since she was a toddler. When Delaney was 18 months old she experienced a series of febrile seizures that hospitalized her and left us with more questions than answers. As she grew, her doctors diagnosed her with developmental delays or motor coordination disorders.
At age 3, when Delaney’s speech was not where it should have been, she was diagnosed with a high frequency hearing loss and was aided for 6 months. It seemed as though we would visit speech therapists, audiologists, physical and occupational therapists weekly. Delaney took each of those visits in stride and always worked hard in between those appointments to try and close the gap between where she was and where she needed to be.
When Delaney was 8 after various consultations with her neurologist, she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. This would explain her ankle contractures, low tone and challenges with balance, coordination and flexibility. As Delaney continued to get older, we would visit various doctors for her appointments and some of our conversation would center around trying to figure out what was “wrong” with her…It became clear to us after we went through rounds of genetic testing that perhaps we were not approaching this in the right light.
Delaney is a strong and resilient young lady. She is pure JOY! She loves people and enjoys making memories with her friends and family. Despite the challenges that she may have with academics in school, Delaney pushes through any and all challenges with grace and hard work. There are so many amazing things “right” about Delaney and that needs to be our focus. She will do amazing things in her life because she truly looks at the world with a lens of hope and understanding.
She recognizes her own challenges and now looks at them as opportunities to grow and make a difference for those around her. Delaney Israel has persevered in her 16 years and I know that the future for her will be bright because of how truly awesome she is!
For the last 6 years Delaney has been a proud member of the Plymouth Canton Stars Special Olympics family. She has enjoyed participating in track and field, basketball and soccer, Through her Salem High School experiences, Delaney has also been a member of the Unified Sports Program enjoying bowling, basketball and bocce ball. Delaney loves being on a team as it offers her many opportunities to interact with new people and enjoy some fitness with her friends at the same time!
Delaney has grown into an avid loom bracelet maker. She twists and turns those rubber bands, beads and charms and makes the most amazing bracelets and keychains that she relishes in sharing with others. In recent weeks, Delaney has focused her bracelet making on giving back to her community as she has shared bracelets and keychains with both the Canton Police and Fire Departments. Upon our visits to their headquarters, her kindness was well received by the officers.
Delaney has run a “kids camp” in our neighborhood for the last several summers. She works with a variety of children and plans and implements activities that are safe and fun-filled for them to do. Delaney loves giving back to others. She does not ask or require anything in return because she truly feels the joy in providing fun for others.
And now as a 16-year-old who aspires to work, she has begun the process of applying and interviewing for various jobs within the community. This can be challenging as rejection can be difficult and sometimes, she has even questioned if not getting a position somewhere was because she has special needs. As difficult as this was to hear, it only provides us with a wider platform to show her that whatever job she ends up having in the months to come, she will be in just the right spot to continue to learn and grow and honestly to make the world a better place!
Thank you for allowing me to showcase some information about our daughter Delaney. We are so proud to be her parents and truly live in her immense shadow!
Submitted by Melissa Israel. Delaney’s mother