 Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Miss Jennifer Bricker. It's so good to be here I'm so excited. This is my first time in Malaysia first time in Southeast Asia And I am loving the weather loving all the different foods and absolutely loving all the hospitality Especially here at Lisa. I just want to thank you all for for bringing me over here so far It's been such an amazing and incredible experience. So I just want to say thank you so much Are you guys having fun? How was your tea? Was it good? Yeah. Yeah, I got a little little more enthusiasm little more energy So it was a good All right, that's awesome Well, you know I get to I get to it is an honor and a privilege for me to travel the world Performing as an aerialist in an acrobat and a speaker It's it's actually quite funny now that I think about being a speaker because when people first told me you need to Be a speaker you need to write a book from when I was really young. I was almost like Me a speaker like I was so offended. What aren't I supposed to have gray hair and be a speaker? For some reason I just I thought of being a speaker as I had to be old I had to be distinguished. I had to you know be completely different and I was like I'm an acrobat I'm an aerialist. I'm young me a speaker I was almost offended by the idea and so now the joy that it brings me I mean people say well, Jen, you're the inspiration and you motivate me, but I got to tell you All of you the audiences that I speak to Inspire me and feed me and give to me and it is such an honor and a blessing I truly mean that from the bottom of my heart when I say it is a privilege for me To be able to just share my life story. I think wow, they really want to listen to me talk about my life That's so cool. It's so flattering and and so much fun for me It's hard to believe when I because I do talk about my life so much You have a lot of time to reflect about your life You're kind of nitpicking it and talking different parts and it's really unbelievable for me To realize that the first set of doctors That my parents took me to after I was adopted told them I would never ever Sit up on my own This was an established hospital and a team of doctors that with confidence 100% your daughter will never sit up on her own She's gonna be confined to this they called it a bucket Okay, and it was gonna hold me upright and in my back and that was my future. Can you imagine me as bucket girl? I Don't think that's really cute on anyone. I definitely doesn't fit for me and my parents didn't think so either They just said you know what there's got to be more for her They fought for me. I was their miracle. I was their blessing They technically should never have been able to have been allowed to adopt me. My mom was 40 My dad was 42 they had three boys 10 12 and 14 years old after the third boy my mom couldn't have kids anymore and She always wanted a baby girl and she prayed and prayed and prayed for 10 years She wanted a baby girl so badly She never gave up her faith and her hope and her desire for that baby girl and one day She hears her best friend at the time was looking to adopt and she had heard about me But she ran a daycare so she wasn't sure if she could handle a kid with disabilities So she told my mom about me and I think my mom just heard baby girl needs a home. Yeah, I think I'll take her Doesn't matter if she has enough legs The thing about my parents is they don't even realize how awesome they are. They're just like well You know, we kind of stumbled through it and she kind of somehow turned out awesome. I don't know they just they're so humble and That's one of many lessons. I've learned from them is humbleness to you know My entire speech pretty much you're gonna hear me talking about them because they're the ones that gave me The mindset they provided the environment for me to thrive. They allowed me to be Who I was who I am and so they're back to square one my mom hears about me Okay, I've got to convince my husband now. All right. I want this baby girl All right, I'm gonna tell her tell my husband about so she goes and tells my dad He was on board. He didn't even get three words that well if I thought okay. Yep. That's all I need to know Okay, good. I'm glad you agree and she wouldn't talk to my brothers who again they were 10 12 and 14 years old all boys and She talked to them. She set them down. They sat them down individually and asked them, you know What would it mean for you to have a sister without legs? How would you feel the oldest one was gonna be dating in a couple of years? So they said okay, here's the scenario if if you're on a date and you bring them home to meet all of us And you have a sister without legs, you know, what if they think it's weird? What if they're bothered by that? How would you feel about that and the beautiful response from all three of them individually was If they have a problem with it, then I don't want them in my life. Anyway And I just thought to the to this day, you know, I don't remember this of course I was an infant but to this day that story just touches my heart How amazing that they were so young and they just had that in them to say, you know what I Don't want to be around people who are gonna discriminate because my sister's different. I Thought that was that touches my heart it will it will forever touch my heart I will forever speak about that story and so they adopted me. They all agreed they adopted me in record time My mom said it was more difficult than giving birth The amount of work they had to go through with the adoption She said there was one point where her and my dad were in different rooms practically being interrogated One was a interview type situation and one was a mountain of paperwork My dad opens the door and literally sees a mountain of paperwork and he was like I almost just turned around and walked out It was you know, it was a very thorough. Thankfully very thorough process to adopt me and They just from the very beginning Knew how to raise me. It was meant to be it was a series of miracles one after the other and And and the scene that I wish I could have been a fly on the wall They let my as a gift to my brothers. They let my brothers choose my name So you can imagine these three boys sitting around No, no, I know her I don't like her we can't name her that no No, what about this name? They're arguing over the name and they finally all agreed after I think a couple hours on Jennifer and I just again, I think that's such a special gift and from the beginning my parents modeled The lessons that I learned they didn't just talk about the things they believed in they put them into action So I learned as a child By their actions they they taught me how to fight for my independence by fighting for my independence When I first start okay started with the doctors We refused to believe she's gonna be bucket girl the rest of her life. Are you kidding me? So they went and got a second opinion. Thankfully they went to Shriners Hospital and Shriners is a huge They have several branches in the US and they are just incredible incredible incredible My dad is as you saw a little bit in the video. He's pretty direct to the point No frills kind of guy So we go to the next they go to the next set of doctors to the Shriners and they said My dad said all right listen before we get any further all I want to know is she gonna be able to sit up on her own It's all I want to know and the doctor looked at him and said Mr. Bricker She's gonna do things that are behind your wildest imagination She's gonna do things that you never could have imagined her to do and he said that's it That's what we knew we knew there was more for her We knew that that had to be her future it never dawned on them to raise me any differently Why would we treat her differently than we treated her boys? My wheelchair was never in the house when I was a kid and the only modification my parents made I was so tiny. I couldn't reach the light switches So you know the thing on on on blinds you turn to open them It's a long rod a plastic rod My dad drove a tiny little hole in the top of it and attached it to the light switch So that I could pull it up and down and turn the lights on but other than that Everything was normal the way anybody in this in this building would live in a house In fact even more so I was I was the climber out of all of us go figure I was a little monkey freaking people out climbing the trees and then my brothers taught me how to jump off of stuff And then I really started freaking everybody out They'd they'd lay pillows on the floor and they'd get me up on the chair or on the couch because even the couch I was so small. It was pretty high for me to jump off So they teach me how to jump off and freak everybody out in one time I got older and my dad said you gotta be careful. You need your wrists to walk What happens if you if you know you hurt your wrist you can't just walk with one hand I said, oh, yeah, I put my hand behind my back and I started walking with one hand. He was like, okay, whatever wanted. That's fine Determined they called it determined when I was younger my whole life and I started school and Again, my parents immediately and I grew up in a very tiny town Okay, so everybody knew me and it was the environment I needed to be in a small town was great because everyone knew me and it really wasn't different for anybody because People were raised with it right so it was not a big deal the fact that I didn't have legs But in school we had four stories of of stairs This is old school built literally in 1912. So there's no elevator, right? This is not the city far from the city So I was going up and down the stairs with everybody else Well, they wanted to assign this started in second grade They wanted to assign an aid to carry my bags and they made me leave class a little bit early and a little bit later Because when everybody there's about a three to five minute break and everybody from several different grades goes up and down the stairs Right and switches classes. So they're like, well, oh, there's what if what if this fear? Well, what if she doesn't get out of the way? What what is someone steps on her fingers? What if what if what if fear fear fear and my dad said listen I guarantee the minute she gets her fingers that thought she's gonna learn how to get out of the way She'll be fine and I survived I have all ten of my fingers No big deal, right? So they're all freaking out freaking out and my parents They they understood how serious it was from an early age, you know, I wasn't gonna be a child the rest of my life I was gonna eventually be an adult and those are formative years where I'm taking in every single thing I see and I hear and they understood that and they say listen She doesn't need this aid and if you don't take this aid away from her We're gonna pull her out of this school and we're gonna take her to a different school because we are raising her to be independent not co-dependent She is gonna be an adult a grown-up Living in the world not having an aid with her constantly, you know, I can't I often think about this again when I'm speaking There would have been so many different outcomes so many different future gen-breakers had I had different parents You know, there were two hundred and ninety-nine couples Couples that were on a waiting list to adopt me Okay, I mean it's kind of flattering to be that popular but Just a little bit but other than that it's baffling because think about it. That means 299 different gen-breakers Different ways that I think different ways that I view myself that I view the world that I view My whole identity and purpose in place in life. Imagine I can guarantee you I would not be here today Can guarantee it and I know for a fact had I been left in my biological family that I wouldn't be here today and and my parents I do I do credit everything to them because They not only they didn't just tolerate me. They weren't just oh, yeah, she's our adopted daughter No, she's our daughter and we are proud of her and she was born this way for a reason for a purpose And she's gonna change the world and she is our answered prayer and she is our blessing If you grow up here in that you believe that All I had was encouragement and love and support and self-esteem They didn't cap or put a ceiling on my limits. There was no ceiling. There was no dreaming too high I wanted to be a mermaid and a fairy and live in the enchanted forest and you know I loved Santa all of these things that are magical creatures But that transcends they didn't stop me dreaming there So I continued to dream in all other areas of my life. There was nothing that was not possible There was no can there really was no can't there really was Nothing that was too far to dream or too far to imagine and they celebrated I mean anything little or a dog. I would just lose my mind. Oh my gosh That's so again from the beginning when they fought for my independence in school fiercely to the point of taking me out of that school I saw from second grade what that meant To fight for my independence to stand up for my independence not that you necessarily have to verbally argue or anything but to really just stand up and Refuse to to be put in a box just because I didn't have legs Sometimes I see people staring and like that's fine. It's different. I get it But I think is it really that big of a deal like is it is it really that different like I just don't see it Thankfully, but you know, that's because I was wired from the beginning not to see it No one else saw it No one else focused on it people were telling me when I was younger when I was in sports so I did basketball softball volleyball all of these things and It never occurred to me to do it Sport as a disabled sport what like what are you me do a sport in a wheelchair like well? I don't even how does that work? I can't even I couldn't do my sports my wheelchair I was just with everybody else and I loved gymnastics. I loved volleyball. Those were my two favorite I did softball and basketball as well for several years But those two were just I thrived and never one time did my parents discourage me Never they could have easily told me all the hundred million reasons why I can't do it There's always gonna be a million reasons why you can't do something especially like Rajiv was saying when you're doing something different that no one's doing Yeah, there's you're gonna kind of easily see the cans before you see the cans, but There's always gonna be those that's never gonna change You can change you can focus on the cans and that's how you can go Your mind can just go wild who cares if you sound crazy who cares You've got it in your brain. That's an imaginative creative brain. That's exciting. That should be celebrated It does start in the mind. It started in the mind with my parents They taught me how to continue to dream to continue to believe that I could do everything so much so that Okay, then you want to do all those sports awesome And I said you know what we live in the middle of nowhere and the most exciting thing to do is to go roller Skating so I want to go roller skating You don't have legs Correct. So where are you gonna put the skates? Oh, well, I guess we'll just put them on your hands I was obsessed with skating backwards and I was obsessed with doing the limbo. Hello. Can you go? Okay, both of those things obsessed with right and again didn't occur to me that I couldn't skate So I would have loved to have remembered this scene We're going to the store buying the skates and I'm trying them on my hands. Oh, these are cute Now this fits a little tight actually no, no, I think I want the pink skates the person selling the skates must have thought We were completely out of our mind like What is she gonna? What is this girl with no legs gonna do with skates? It paid off though because every single time after that I won the limbo So not bad. I was pretty excited pretty proud of that accomplishment My next challenge to tackle after winning the limbo so many times. I decided it wasn't fair to compete in it anymore I Was like, okay now I got a master skating backwards so when you're skating they blow the whistle and you switch positions right you either partner skate or you skate backwards or whatever and So of course, I'm all the way across the skating rink Farthest away from the beginning as you can get and they blow the whistle to skate backwards And I'm just like, okay. I just learned how to skate. How do I so what okay? How do I skate backwards? I was so confused. It was as I was very young. Okay. It was a big deal for me And I remember does anyone in here know Thomas the train the little engine that could okay? All right, awesome. So my parents always read that to me as a kid and you know each roll I think I can I think I think I can I think I get so I'm on the in the skating rink on the floor skating And I'm just like, okay. Well Thomas literally with each rule and I'm on wheels. This is so cool I'm just like Thomas the train. So I think I can I think I can and I just each roll literally was saying this And before I know it I made it all the way across the skating rink and I skated backwards and it was That's a funny kid analogy. You know Thomas the train. We all love him. We love his cartoon. We love his sayings But that how amazing is that it was a practical use of Thomas the train as a kid And I think of it now as an adult It totally transcends into our adult lives because every single day The little life choices are the little wheel turns that Thomas does so every day We have choices to make we have a million and one are we gonna respond? Are we gonna react are we gonna yell are we gonna smile are we gonna choose to focus on the can? Are we gonna choose to be positive to own the day not let the day own us? All of these decisions to listen to somebody That's a big deal sometimes Those little bitty decisions and just that I've learned in my short time in life so far It's the little choices that we make every day The tiny little ones that maybe seem Miniscule or not important They're the ones that lead up to the big fireworks Those little decisions are they have to be they are the journey to the amazing over-the-top fireworks 4th of July kind of thing It's it's those are essential and those being aware every single day Living for today not for tomorrow not for next week not for next month I used to be notoriously guilty of that and it stressed me out like no other and I started living for today Because you can just easily ignore who's right in front of you when you're thinking about The next five million things and you're stressing and you're anxiety and you're worrying and half that stuff isn't even gonna happen anyway I Was just you know I was going around and around in these circles and all of that from Thomas the train I mean, it's unbelievable how these things can spark from that and then I come to my parents and I say All right now. I want to be a gymnast and They had to just think really like you couldn't choose the piano or Fashion okay, that's great. They took me to the gym We had a power tumbling gym to be specific where I grew up tiny town and I got it again give credit to my coaches In I walk bubbly fierce determination confident is all yeah, oh totally I'm gonna be a gymnast and they're just they had to be kind of stunned like well Okay, I mean we've never We've never coached anybody that way but awesome and they were they were so on board. They took the challenge They were amazing. They didn't treat me different either They didn't give me any slack none of my coaches in any of my sports treated me any differently I remember doing suicides you guys know what suicides are in basketball You run halfway to the court back a force of the court back all the way to court back Grateful for that and in tumbling as I started I in two weeks My coaches saw that I had natural raw talent and I got asked to start competing because you have to be asked to be On the team you can't just be on the team and compete and that was a huge deal I got to wear the leotards with all the glitter and the gold and the fancy little jacket with my name I was so excited about all that and You know started competing and going to these meets where I finally got to see other people and all of a sudden People were telling me I was an inspiration and they were watching me and everybody was cheering and I kept hearing you're an inspiration Oh my gosh, this is amazing, and I was so annoyed That's so annoying like seriously. I don't want to hear it anymore as a kid. I but it was because I didn't understand I didn't understand Why it was such a big deal, you know, I'm just doing what I love. I'm just doing What makes me happy? You know, I didn't have to do the sports or do anything to prove someone wrong I didn't have to I wasn't forced into it by my parents. I kept wondering like mom and dad All of my friends parents want them to be a gymnast or football player or basketball player or whatever Why don't you tell me what you want me to be and they're like, well, we want you to be what you who you are Who you are meant to be what makes you happy? That is what makes us happy as A kid I thought it was the stupidest thing in the world as an adult I think it's the most genius thing in the world because they allowed me they provided the environment For me to blossom like a flower to fully bloom to explore every single corner and inch and facet of what I wanted to do And who I was and they supported it and they backed it and they encouraged it with love and confidence and self-esteem. I Had that entire foundation as a childhood all the way up until I was Still current still I still have that for my parents and I think right before I turned 16 When I asked my mom if she knew anything about my biological family and I find out That the girl I idolized my entire childhood was my biological sister I think I don't know how I could have handled that even at 15 Had I not had that entire foundation? That those roots that confidence that self-esteem because that was a lot even at almost 16 years old That was a lot to understand. I mean who does that happen to my mom tells me I'm like wait a minute So information overload computer sparks flying smoke coming out of my ears if I were cartoon That's what it would be happening It was just insane. I mean I'm like wait a minute so So the girl that I watched as a child The girl I idolized the girl I literally said Don't we look alike? What if we were related? She's Romanian. I'm Romanian. She's fiery and I'm spiering. I'm spicy She's spicy. Oh my gosh. Don't we look alike all of these things? How in the world is she actually my full-blooded biological sister was baffling I was in shock I was in disbelief and then I was super pumped because I She was my idol, but I also had a sister. I was raised with three brothers So it was just on that element on just purely a simple element. That was so exciting to me And of course immediately after I got through all of my initial emotions. I said, oh my gosh I have to meet her. I I'm pretty sure she has no idea. I even exist I want her to know that I'm here. I want her to know that she has a sister And so I went on her website and like maybe a little bit of a stalker just for hours looking at her pictures So I'm going through all of these pictures and all of a sudden I See myself with legs at my face planted on someone else's body. It was my younger sister Christina. I Never had anyone that looked like me where I grew up in the middle of nowhere farm town I was I was very tan as a kid and jet-black hair and just even that was very different where I grew up And now I have someone that looks like my identical twin with legs I mean it was baffling like that's what I would look like with legs good to know interesting It was so ironic. I I got my dad He was walking by and the picture was up on the computer and she was clearly visibly had legs She was standing on skis in a sneak a ski resort and I said hey dad look at this picture He looked he's well. When did you go skiing? Oh? My gosh that was he got it right after he said it but it looked it was just absolutely baffling And so I'm seeing these pictures And on one hand it's exhilarating and it's exciting and it's just amazing I'm completely obsessed looking at all these pictures and but you know I see Christina and Dominique And I just think man. I Belong right in between you two. I'm literally the middle sister, and you have no idea that I even exist There's a little disheartening there's a little It was discouraging and disheartening, but yet it's actually what fueled me. It's kind of interesting It fueled me because now I have two sisters One was my idol and one's my twin insane And it was just so I was so excited and my uncle conveniently enough was a private investigator Of course Why wouldn't he be in my life and so I contacted him and I said okay I want this to be done properly. I want you to reach out to Dimitri and Camelia Mochi I knew my biological parents, and I want you to let them know That I know because I'm pretty positive They've been keeping it a secret and my sisters don't know and just so you know the reason we found out How we found out how I found out how my parents found out This was supposed to be a closed adoption Okay, that means that all of the adoption documents about my biological family were supposed to be blacked out literally blacked out When the social work when my mom and dad adopted me the social worker had all of the papers And she's literally verbatim says, huh? Well, these are all supposed to be blacked out. Oh well There you go. My mom was sitting at home one day. I'm going on and on watching gymnastics I'm talking about Dominique they pan to the audience and they showed Dimitri and Camelia Mochi on him my biological parents and A light bulb goes off in my mom's head and she's just like man That sounds familiar. Where do I know those names? She goes and gets my my adoption papers from seven years ago and she just She starts adding it up Dimitri Camelia Romanian sibling six years older Dominique and She's just wow. Oh my gosh, holy cow. My daughter's idol is her sister Sitting in the living room one day and you know people say yeah, but Jen Why didn't your parents tell you? Why did it take them so long to tell you? Well, I was seven years old and it would have been kind of an insane mountain tsunami earthquake everything you can imagine To tell that to a seven-year-old it just wasn't the right timing and I completely agree with them It was not the right timing and also my sister had had a very public emancipation from her parents at 17 It was a very It was just very sad kind of time and I remember watching it I don't know she was my sister, but I remember watching it and it was public and it was really sad And she was separating herself from her parents and my parents also took her into consideration and I said, you know what? She can't handle this right now either as I got older even so they decided and legally They weren't supposed to tell me because it was a closed adoption until I was 18 But when I came and asked specifically they weren't gonna lie to me and that's why it came out exactly when it did And I I honestly fully support that and I think it was the right decision because even at almost 16 years old it was quite a lot to take in and and then To even further confirm that you know when my uncle first contacted my biological parents I Really thought that they would deny it. I don't know what you're talking about We never gave up a child by they didn't deny it But after the first conversation There was silence on the other end so they didn't want to continue the conversation They wanted to continue keeping it a secret already 16 years they wanted to continue the whole other lifetime of keeping me a secret and so I said okay, you know, that was my first failed attempt at contacting my biological family and It kind of I was expecting actually more negative than that. So I really wasn't I was a little discouraged But not completely shocked then I said, okay, let me regroup. All right. I'm gonna okay. Dominique is of age She's over 18. So I'm gonna re-strategize and I'm gonna contact her Well, because I was a part of her website I got an email and it said she's gonna be on this rock-and-roll gymnastics tour and she's gonna stop in Indianapolis Which was about two and a half hours from where I grew up. So I was 17 I was of course, I got this genius idea I was gonna show up to the meat guns a blazing and somehow get down to the floor show her the adoption papers and Tell her I was her sister. So it was perfect idea So in my head, I was gung-ho was excited about a week and a half two weeks before I was gonna go buy the tickets to go to this event I get an email from her website saying Unfortunately due to an injury Dominique has to pull out of the competition I was just so bombed out that I was that was the point where I was very discouraged very discouraged Very disheartened because this was I really thought this was gonna work I'm really completely was convinced 100 percent. This was it and When I first found out I said I want to be there when she gets married and I want her to be there when I graduate high school and Just as that second failed attempt happened the other two things happened I graduated high school and my sister got married and it again just another blow another blow to My entire plan to my heart, you know, I really I wanted to meet them so badly at this point I knew for sure they didn't know that I existed and that was okay But I just wanted them to know and it was my job to find them and so when I was 19 I got accepted into a program at Disney World in Orlando, Florida and It's about this is very far away from where I grew up 15 15 and a half hours And so I was ready to blow out of that tiny town. I was like yep city bring it on Orlando Disney World Beach Yes, that was very excited. So I left at 19 and I knew within the first month I wasn't moving back. I extended my program and then ended up just staying there and that first year I was just inundated with diversity and culture and all kinds of guys from all different parts of the world and all different parts of Food and different friends and the beach and Disney World all of these things were so new to me and I was so young I mean I was like constantly just eyes wide open excited and so the first year of being in Orlando the thought of meeting my biological family somewhat Took a backburner for a little bit towards the end of that year though It was Consuming my thoughts. I was even my dreams every single thing was pointing to you need to try again To meet your biological family. It was such a wake-up call. I'm like, okay. I hear you. I hear you I get it. So this was my third and final shot to reach out to my biological family And I called my uncle my private investigator uncle and I said all right listen I know she lives in Ohio and I know she's married to a guy named Mike But I need you to get me your address and you give me your phone number I called my parents and I said listen I need you to copy every single adoption document legal document you have Copy it and send it my way and then I had a pep talk with myself and I was like, all right Jen Get yourself together. This is your third and final shot. This is it You've got to make this one has to count this one's got to work So I packaged my entire heart and soul up in this package I copied pictures from when I was a baby all the way until I was I was 20 at the time Because the resemblance you can see is just unbelievable. There's no denying it And I made sure that the legal documents with my parents biological parents signatures were on there so that she didn't think I was some crazy lunatic just saying oh, I'm your sister sure you are no I wanted to make sure she knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was her sister and then I Specifically remember putting together this letter and I thought all right am I gonna tell her that I don't have legs Am I gonna not tell her I mean she's already finding out she has a long-lost sister Maybe I should just wait like do it in two sections. So that's what I did I'm not gonna tell her That's already enough to find out you have a long-lost sister. You didn't know about for 20 years So I left that out that I went to the post office Packaged it up. I did every single possible imagination thing you could do with the post office I had a signed receipt. I had a confirmed this I had that I grilled the poor lady at the post office Going through every single scenario repeating it ten times. It was pretty pretty funny And then I just waited for two and a half weeks It pins and needles Towards the end of the two and a half weeks. I had to start thinking I had to start preparing myself For the possibility that they weren't gonna respond Then it wasn't gonna be my happy ending Because this is already two and a half weeks. I mean I would think you find something like that out You would respond pretty quickly, but she didn't so I'm sitting here the longest two weeks of my whole life Thinking all right Jen. You know what if she doesn't respond if they don't respond You did everything you could I Put all the cards out there. I did every single thing I could I left nothing unturned. I had no regrets There was nothing more that I could have done and one night I was sitting on my floor in the living room in my apartment in Orlando I was going through my mail and it was Christmas time and I just saw that I had a Christmas card I didn't even pay attention. I don't know. Oh cute. I got a Christmas card now I was just opening it and I opened the card It was a small card and a piece of paper fell out and all I saw was Dominique signature And my heart just stopped I Think it actually stopped for a minute. It was pretty intense because this is not just two weeks That I was waiting. This is four years now at this point four years when I first found out And so then I have the letter I don't want to open it because I don't know what it says What if it's negative? What if she doesn't what if she doesn't accept me? I don't know But then I I say it was a true band-aid life moment I had to just rip it open and read it and that's what I did. I ripped it open. I read it and I said You know what? Whatever it's gonna be. It's gonna be and I'll never forget I got to the middle of the letter and She said you're about to be an auntie and so The letter was better than I could have imagined They accepted me and then some the next day. I got flowers in the mail And I still have that vase sitting next to my bed to this day With the flowers came in a Month later. I was on my way to work going to Disney. I get a phone call. I didn't know the number Hello Jennifer. This is Dominique I'm like blindsided floored wait a minute. So this is my idol But she's my sister. So she's my sister But she's my idol like what do you say best I could come up with was hello Amazingly enough conversation flowed super naturally We were on the phone an hour before I knew it and probably would have been on the phone five hours Had I not had to go to work towards the end of the conversation? I thought Yeah, I should probably tell her I don't have legs. This is probably the time So I just you know right before I got off the phone slipped it in no big deal Oh, I'm sure you know, but I was born without legs. It's no big deal. It's all good There's just silence on the other leg Like I could tell I almost felt bad, but it was really funny because she didn't know what to say She was trying to be polite. She was you know, and she's like, oh well Wow, no didn't know I didn't know that Wow, and we had just gotten done talking about all of my performing and my performing career Just started and all of the sports that I did and how I loved gymnastics as well And she was just she was confused. You could tell a little bit. Well, how does that work? You don't have legs. I don't understand, but I'm really trying and she was so cute And so we of course end of conversation. We want to meet we want to meet we want to meet So four months later we all met in Cleveland, Ohio at my sister's house Dominique I lived in Florida. Christine lived in Texas and Dominique lives in Ohio. So we all met there and it was Surreal but organic and natural if that can happen all at once Did and so I mean I'll never forget the elevator doors opening at the airport And I see her right in front of me and she's of course She's pushing my knees in the stroller holding a long stem rose and video camera like videotaping the whole thing So I'm like do I say hi do I like hug the baby? Do I take the rose? Do I give you a hug? I'm not really sure so I'm just gonna do all of them at once and it was but it was So surreal and then my younger sister my younger sister flies in Not only does she have my face now. I'm talking to myself with legs hearing my voice with legs I mean it was unbelievable. I just kept looking at her and even after we knew each other for a while She'd be like are you staring at me again? Yes, I am I can't don't judge me. I just couldn't get over how much we looked alike and sounded like We all had the same likes and food and my younger sister's husband looks identical to my ex-boyfriend He's like twins reunited kind of thing and so you know they when we all met it was a beautiful year It was when my career had just started as an acrobat and an aerialist and so the the journey of my sisterhood and my career have gone together and grown together and they got to see that from the beginning and I've learned many many lessons along this journey as a speaker and a performer But one thing I know and that is reaffirmed and hit home every single time I speak is that every single Person in this audience every single person everywhere has special gifts and talents and abilities That are born to you and for you specifically They are your passions. They are what excites you They are what makes you stand up and scream and shout and dance and freak out and be excited That's passion. You all have that in you and they're all equally Equally as important and equally as powerful Because they really truly you really truly with your talents gifts and abilities That are for you So you don't have to be jealous of anyone else's because they're equally as powerful They have a pat they have that the power you have the power to change someone's life And that's not just like a kumbaya doesn't that sound great something awesome to say on stage. That's real You all have things that make you excited. That's your passion. That's what you're naturally good at you naturally are drawn to You can use those how awesome is that you can use what you love What makes you excited what you're naturally good at you're naturally so passionate about that It makes you turn your life upside down and act like a crazy person To change someone's life and that in and of itself following your passion in your dream Can inspire someone can change someone's life. Yeah, but Jen. I don't have a platform. I don't have a stage Yes, you do. Do you not interact with someone every day co-workers friends family? That's your platform. That's your stage and if you don't think you're making an impact You're seriously mistaken people pay attention to you the decisions you make the choices you The yes or the no's or the indifference or the worst the standing still People see you you make an impact and you are equally Significant just because I'm on a stage does not make me any more significant doesn't mean that my talents and gifts are any more effective Everyone holds equal power. We're on an equal playing field. It's level But when you realize that you have that and you recognize that you have that power Then you got to do something with it So it's kind of easy to deny that it's not there because it's there whether you recognize it or not, right? It's there, but then there becomes a responsibility I think there is a responsibility when you harness and use your gifts and your talents because Really the responsibility is to use them to change someone else's life You all have that and you do you believe that? Wow, come on. Do you believe that? Okay, I know that to be true. I know that to be true guys. I know and I just challenge you today to dig deep Just think of what makes you stand up and cheer and be so excited and be so passionate and so on fire That's it That is what you harness and you use and you protect to change a life Just find out what yours is and go out and rock it and change the world. Thank you