“Mom & Me” 2016 Cover Winner: Shannon & Alyssa

Shannon & Alyssa

Our Mom & Me cover winners are Shannon (Mom) and her sixteen year old daughter, Alyssa. This wonderful photo was taken on a “friends and family” fishing day in Brighton, Michigan. Alyssa was very lucky this day because she wound up catching 10 fish! Every time she put her pole back in the pond, she pulled out a fish!  She was excited to hold up her first catch of the day and touched it before releasing back in the pond.

Alyssa lives with her Mom and Dad, JT, and loves swimming in the lake, playing ladder golf and watching movies. She feels fortunate to have her extended family close by since Alyssa loves spending time doing just about anything with her grandmas and her cousin, Gavin. Alyssa has been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a feeding tube.

Shannon is so very proud of Alyssa because she does not let her challenges hold her back. She is involved with her high school Pom team, is a cheerleader for Special Olympics, enjoys her 4H group, horseback riding and recently participated in her High School play. She teaches others that her disabilities don’t define her. Shannon went on to say, “My child loves to be outdoors in summer. She loves to go camping, spend time at the lake and swim. In fact, she swims so much, we think she might just be a mermaid!” When Alyssa gets older she would love to volunteer at Give Kids the World Village and help kids with life threatening illnesses make memories just like she did.

Photo courtesy: Renee Pasko