Two guys. One a barista, the other the boyfriend of my daughter, Mikelle’s roommate Lauren
Lawton.
Who says men don’t care? I say, men do care? They just show it differently than women.
Ian, then a barista, now a business man decided to take a risk to become friends with a fiery
young woman in a flashy red wheelchair. Steve Perfors, connected with Mikelle as a new
boyfriend to her then roommate, Lauren. They both watched Mikelle negotiate life with an
admirable determination and sassy verve.
Steve & Ian have become lifelong friends and now are officially family and one of
Mikelle’s “boys.”
These boys have become the men we love to see. Heroes. Men, who step up, get involved and
make the world a better place.
Think about taking a minute to:
- Celebrate the men in your life that open a door out of consideration.
- Celebrate the humor men bring into our lives as they tease us and cajole us to laughter.
Ian Harwick and Steve Perfors look past Mikelle’s disability until they reached a point
where they didn’t see it at all. They value her enough to include her in their jokes and
guy-kind of trash talk. They challenge her to come up with her own ways of jokingly
telling them, “They have issues”. - Celebrate the contributions men make every day. Everyone needs a little appreciation.
Meeting Ian at the local Starbucks for the first time as I ordered an extra hot non-fat, no water,
no foam Chai, I looked into the vibrant blues eyes of his and said, “Don’t let anyone ever still
your light.”
His spirit was so bright; I never wanted life to take it away. That was the beginning of building a
better community for Mikelle.
Fortunately, his light and Steve’s good will have enhanced all of our lives.