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Do you remember your favorite stuffed animal, toy, or maybe a blanket when you were a kid. No matter where you went you always had your friend with you by your side. There was no obstacle or problem that couldn’t be taken care of as long as you and your favorite toy were together.
Scary things just weren’t as scary and just having your small friend with you gave you the courage to do things you wouldn’t otherwise do as a young child out of fear. One of the main reasons kids carry a ‘special’ stuffed animal, blanket or toy is because it lowers their anxieties and fears in almost any situation they face.
This brings us to today’s story featuring a young 12-year old girl named Raquel Zuniga, she is currently in the 7th grade and goes to classes that are specifically designed for children with moderate to severe mental disabilities.
Raquel carries a special friend with her everywhere she goes. This friend is none other than everyone’s favorite frog Kermit! Raquel hangs out with Kermit the Frog all day everyday, whether she is home or at school Kermit is always right by her side.
Due to Raquel’s disability she has severe anxiety especially when she is transitioning from one place to another. This tends to flare up at school when the bell rings and it’s time to go from one class to another. On this day, Raquel was having an extremely rough time transitioning from one class to another and she froze. She couldn’t walk or get to her class and she wouldn’t say anything. She just stood in the hallways frozen clutching Kermit silently.
Multiple teachers came up to Raquel and tried to get her to unfreeze and comfort and make her feel safe in her current state and situation. None could help, Raquel stood their frozen for just about a full hour clutching on to her stuffed frog.
That’s when a special soul enters the story, school security officer Kris Morrison who spent the last 20 years as a school officer for special needs children. However, before that she was an officer Kris was a teacher for children with disabilities and instinctually somehow knew exactly what to do to help poor Raquel.
Kris spoke to Raquel in a soothing voice and then began to sing Rainbow Connection, the famous song that Kermit the Frog, ‘Raquel’s best friend’ is most known for. As Kris sang Raquel’s anxiety and fear just began melting away.
Soon after she began moving and it was as if a miracle just occurred and she unfroze! This was Raquels favorite song, so it immediately triggered her brain to relax and feel safe. Just like that, the magic of music, an amazing school security officer and Kermit the frog had saved the day!
Watch the video below for the full story:
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