Carry on [uncopyedited manuscript] : a story of resilience, redemption, and an unlikely family

"An Emmy-winning ESPN producer describes how she developed a surprising, profound and lasting bond with two disabled African-American, inner-city high school wrestlers after filming a segment about them for television, "--NoveList. In The Spirit Of The Blind Side Comes A Deeply Moving Memoir About The Unexpected Bonds That Would Transform Three Lives. Lisa Fenn Produced Human-interest Features For Espn For Over A Decade, But One Particular Story Came Into Her Life And Never Left. After Seeing A Newspaper Image Of Two Young Wrestlers From One Of Cleveland’s Tougher Public High Schools, Lisa Followed A Hunch And Flew Back To Her Hometown To Meet The Boys That Very Day. What She Found Caused Her Spirit Both To Sink And To Soar. Leroy Sutton, Who Lost His Legs In A Childhood Train Accident, Could Often Be Found Riding On The Back Of Dartanyon Crockett, Who Was Legally Blind And Had No Permanent Place To Call Home. Initially Drawn Together By Their Handicaps, The Boys Soon Developed A Brother-like Bond. When One Wrestled, The Other Sat On The Edge Of The Mat, And Their Cheerful Friendship Was A Source Of Inspiration Throughout The Halls Of Their High School. As Lisa Filmed Her Feature About This Remarkable Friendship For Espn, She Grew To Understand The Suffering Leroy And Dartanyon Had Endured, And She Fought For Their Trust And Their Confidence. The Three Formed A Surprising And Meaningful Connection—and Once The Television Story Ended, Lisa Realized She Couldn’t Just Walk Away. Though Leroy’s And Dartanyon’s Futures Were Limited By Abject Poverty, Lisa Resolved To Give Them The Chance She Knew They Deserved. She Worked Tirelessly To See Them Through School And Athletic Pursuits, Broken Hearts, Phantom Limbs, And The Bewildering Obstacles That, At Every Turn, Tested Their Individual Strengths Even While Strengthening The Bonds Between Them. More Than A Story Of Two Underdogs Overcoming Innumerable Hardships, Carry On Is A Touching Tale Of An Unlikely Family Forged Through Barriers Of Race, Class, And Disability. It Is A Powerful Memoir About Grit, Love, Hope, And Faith—and The Courage To Carry On, Even In The Most Extraordinary Circumstances. In the spirit of The Blind Side and Friday Night Lights comes a tender and profoundly moving memoir about an ESPN producers unexpected relationship with two disabled African-American wrestlers from inner-city Cleveland, and how these bondsblossoming, ultimately, into a most unorthodox familywould transform their lives. When award-winning ESPN producer Lisa Fenn returned to her hometown for a story about two wrestlers at one of Clevelands toughest public high schools, she had no idea that the trip would change her life. Both young men were disadvantaged students with significant physical disabilities. Dartanyon Crockett, the teams best wrestler, was legally blind as a result of Lebers disease; Leroy Sutton lost both his legs at eleven, when he was run over by a train. Brought together by wrestling, they had developed a brother-like bond as they worked to overcome their disabilities. In their time developing the segment together, Fenn formed a profound connection with Dartanyon and Leroy. After earning their trust and their love, she realized she couldnt just walk away when filming ended. These boys had had to overcome the odds too many times. Instead, Fenn dedicated herself to ensuring their success long after the reporting wqs finished and the story airedand an unlikely family of three was formed. The years ahead would be fraught with complex challenges, but Fenn stayed with the boys every step of the wayteaching them essential life skills, helping them heal old wounds and traumatic pasts, and providing the first steady and consistent support system theyd ever had. This powerful memoir is one of love, hope, faith, and strengtha story about an unusual family and the courage to carry on, even in the most extraordinary circumstances. In the spirit of The Blind Side and Friday Night Lights comes a tender and profoundly moving memoir about an ESPN producer's unexpected relationship with two disabled wrestlers from inner city Cleveland, and how these bonds--blossoming, ultimately, into a most unorthodox family--would transform their lives. When award-winning ESPN producer Lisa Fenn returned to her hometown for a story about two wrestlers at one of Cleveland's toughest public high schools, she had no idea that the trip would change her life. Both young men were disadvantaged students with significant physical disabilities. Dartanyon Crockett was legally blind as a result of Leber's disease; Leroy Sutton lost both his legs at eleven, when he was run over by a train. Brought together by wrestling, they had developed a brother-like bond as they worked to overcome their disabilities. After forming a profound connection with Dartanyon and Leroy, Fenn realized she couldn't just walk away when filming ended; these boys had had to overcome the odds too many times. Instead, Fenn dedicated herself to ensuring their success long after the reporting was finished and the story aired--and an unlikely family of three was formed. The years ahead would be fraught with complex challenges, but Fenn stayed with the boys every step of the way--teaching them essential life skills, helping them heal old wounds and traumatic pasts, and providing the first steady and consistent support system they'd ever had. This powerful memoir is one of love, hope, faith, and strength--a story about an unusual family and the courage to carry on, even in the most extraordinary circumstances NAACP Image Award Finalist, and Winner of the 2016 Friends of American Writers Literary Award and the Christopher Award In the spirit of The Blind Side comes a deeply moving memoir about the unexpected bonds that would transform three lives. Lisa Fenn produced human-interest features for ESPN for over a decade, but one particular story came into her life and never left. After seeing a newspaper image of two young wrestlers from one of Cleveland’s tougher public high schools, Lisa followed a hunch and flew back to her hometown to meet the boys that very day. What she found caused her spirit both to sink and to soar. Leroy Sutton, who lost his legs in a childhood train accident, could often be found riding on the back of Dartanyon Crockett, who was legally blind and had no permanent place to call home. Initially drawn together by their handicaps, the boys soon developed a brother-like bond. When one wrestled, the other sat on the edge of the mat, and their cheerful friendship was a source of inspiration throughout the halls of their high school In the spirit of The Blind Side and Friday Night Lights comes a tender and profoundly moving memoir about an ESPN producer's unexpected relationship with two disabled African-American wrestlers from inner city Cleveland, and how these bonds—blossoming, ultimately, into a most unorthodox family—would transform their lives. When award-winning ESPN producer Lisa Fenn returned to her hometown for a story about two wrestlers at one of Cleveland's toughest public high schools, she had no idea that the trip would change her life. Both young men were disadvantaged students with significant physical disabilities. Dartanyon Crockett, the team's best wrestler, was legally blind as a result of Leber's disease; Leroy Sutton lost both his legs at eleven, when he was run over by a train. Brought together by wrestling, they had developed a brother-like bond as they worked to overcome their disabilities. In their time developing the segment together, Fenn formed a...