Catch da Flava - Blindside

For our April 19th edition of Health Talks Radio, our panel talked about the movie The Blindside with host Travis and panelists Beverly, Diamond, and Judy. What’s your blindside? Who watches your blindside? These are probably questions you were asking yourself when you heard that the lovely Sandra Bullock was starring in a film called The Blind Side. This heart warming family movie will really capture your soul because it teaches you that family is family no matter the colour of your skin or where you grew up. It’s not about where you're from, it’s about how big your heart is. Michael Oher is a 17-year-old boy who has been transferred from foster home to foster home back to back because of his mother’s drug addiction. Everytime he gets a new home he runs away to his dad’s house where he sleeps on the couch. One day, his father introduced him to the coach of the high school he was currently attending (Wingate Christian School) and the coach was instantly amazed. One stormy night, Leigh Anne Tuohy notices Michael walking along the cold road in nothing but a t-shirt & shorts, she convinces him to get in the car and offers her couch to him for the night. ​

 

The Tuohy's are what you would call a good old fashioned Christian family. Leigh Anne and Sean are the parents with the big hearts but Leigh Anne runs the ship. She's an independent, strong-willed mother of two. She noticed Michael right away, there was just something about him that made her want to help. It was as if he was that older son that she never had and you wouldn't be able to tell at first but Michael was studying her as well. He was very quiet and shy at first which made it difficult to communicate properly. Michael Oher's big and far from dumb and as he slowly gravitates towards the Tuohy’s he finds himself happier. For the first time in his life he had a bed, which is something he never got to officially experience with all the running away he did in the past. He used to pick up food from the football bleachers to survive so when he had his first dinner with the Tuohy’s he questioned himself being there. It was not easy to be at a table with white people eating top notch food and not being kicked, yelled at or harassed. But he was always reminded it was ok to be happy, to take a breath and count his blessings. The Blindside can teach youth that are in a similar situation that it’s not easy to open up to strangers but if you don't start with someone then you will never be able to trust anyone. You may be on your own for now and you may feel like the world is coming to an end but you must have faith. They need to know that there are people out there that care about them, that you can still try and turn your life around. The resources are hidden in the tall grass that just needs to get cut because where there is a will, there's a way. Everyone can benefit from the positive messages that this film sends out to all families. ​

We talked about how the family benefited from the addition to their family as much as Michael did. Based on a true life story, Michael Oher went on to play in the NFL and gives real life inspiration to what can be done when we open our hearts to one another. I hope you enjoyed reading about this film.

I'm your favorite blogger Travis blogging to you from Regent Park Focus Youth Media Centre. ​

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