Linda G ElkanDavid PerryThis is my fourth book for children and middle school kids. I was especially drawn to Jack's story and success and the importance of Unified Sports. My wife, Sue and I split our time between New York City and a house on an orchard in Vermot, where we can spend as much time as possible with our grandsons, Colden and Chase.Linda Gyrsting ElkanI am a mother, a writer, and a former attorney. In 1983 I graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law for ten years. When my second son was born, I retired from that career to raise and teach my children. By 2008 our family had grown to include three children, aged nine, twelve, and fifteen. We decided to do something different to celebrate Christmas. Through friends we discovered a program that brought children who had been raised in or abandoned to institutions to spend a month with a family in the U.S. We looked through pictures of children who were eligible to travel and immediately fell in love with a tiny boy named Igors.A few weeks later we stood at Dulles Airport waiting for the best Christmas present our family had ever received. Yes, I wondered if this little boy would fit into our family. But then I realized that we mothers have no idea what our children will be like when they are born to us. We just do our best to love them and make a family out of the people who end up sharing our home.Four years ago, we moved from the D.C. area to a little hill in Marlow, New Hampshire. Jack's siblings are all grown and gone. But we have five chickens, two cats, an orchard full of apple and peach trees, and one Olympic athlete.AcknowledgmentsI am grateful to the Keene High School coaches and staff for helping Jack. I am grateful to the Special Olympics program for helping athletes like Jack to develop their natural abilities and find a way to shine. I am also grateful to Wylene and Cliff Wood and David and Sue Perry for encouraging me to write this book. Read More Read Less