Sometimes All Anyone Needs is a Chance                         December 2009

This December, I saw a movie which absolutely moved me to the core: The Blind Side. It is the extraordinary true underdog story of Michael Oher...a teenager whose future prospects looked grim by any measure, until the Tuohy family took him in and gave him a chance at a future he otherwise never would have had.

Born to a mother who was a crack cocaine addict and a father who was killed in jail, Michael's youth was spent being bounced around in foster homes and included periods of homelessness before the age of 16. It all changed in one night when Leigh Anne Tuohy saw him walking in the street wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts outside in freezing temperatures, and asked her husband to pull over as she offered the boy a ride and a place to sleep. At 6'5" and over 300 pounds, Michael was hard to miss and may have been considered a threat by many, but something inside Leigh Anne had her follow her instincts- and the story unfolds from there.

Sandra Bullock's performance is brilliant as the strong & feisty female head of the family whose "mother lion" instinct extends beyond her own two children to include Michael as well, and the story of how this family comes together is as beautiful as the evolution of Michael from a lost soul to a football star.

What makes the movie even more heartwarming at the end are the pictures and video clips of the real Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, and the fact that he is currently playing for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL!

What started off as a simple act of kindness changed a young man's life, and beyond that - the legacy is immeasurable, as millions have already been inspired by the book and the film made to celebrate the improbability of and possibility in Michael Oher's story. I promise you - if you see this film, it will leave a footprint on your heart as well.

With Great Love,

PS. Update as of January 17th, 2010 - Sandra Bullock won the Golden Globe award for her performance in The Blind Side, and in her acceptance speech acknowledged the Tuohy family who reminded us all that "A family is not just who you were born to, or what colour you are, it's who's got your back." Beautiful.