Ever since I started taking Jordan to Camp No Limits in 2009, I’ve heard stories about Nick. He’s a boy from Maine who does not have hands or forearms and is missing a portion of one of his legs. Nick met Occupational Therapist Mary Leighton when he was little. She helped create the camp to help focus on the needs of Nick and other kids with limb differences in mind. (The picture to the left is a picture of Nick from a camp years ago.) He was two and a half when he started working with Mary. Now he’s a fifth grader and continues to amaze so many people.

Yesterday, a television station and a newspaper in Maine did a story about Nick Maxim and how he won an award in the National Handwriting Contest. A hand writing contest? Yup. You have to watch him write in the online video to believe it. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a person without hands write or eat or hit with a baseball bat or text on a phone without hands. But it still is awesome to watch. Nick is another wonderful example of the strength and determination kids and adults have with limb differences. As the Kennebec Journal writes, Nick isn’t looking to be inspirational. He just is.

The company that runs the handwriting contest not only gave him an award, they named a yearly award in his honor to celebrate other kids with disabilities who turn in their handwriting samples for the competition. I think that’s pretty great.

We just got back from camp and we had a lot of fun. Cameron and Jordan had great experiences, enjoyed a lot of outdoor time AND made a bunch of new friends. I have a zillion photos and videos to share, but since we’re headed out of town tomorrow for our yearly trip to Maine, I can’t work on that until I’m packed. In the meantime, you can check out an article about camp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You can also watch this video:

I work in TV news, so when something is on the news, I try not to make a big deal about it… But the girl was in a story that aired on the NBC station in St. Louis, KSDK. Enjoy watching more about Camp No Limits and its first year in the St. Louis area!

I have many pictures and stories to tell about Jordan’s big family camping trip and her first hike up a mountain on her own… but I’ll save that for a day when I have a little bit more time.