By Alexandra Hanson
Meet Christian Sell. He’s a Boston Bruins enthusiast, lover of music, and was one of the thousands of attendees at Do Good Fest this past weekend. But what sets Christian apart from the crowd is that he was born with Mowat-Wilson Syndrome – a genetic condition that affects approximately 1,000 people worldwide. Most of those who are diagnosed with MWS are non-verbal and suffer from severe seizures, intellectual disabilities, chronic pain and scoliosis. Christian’s case is unique though, because he can speak. And while it is limited, he not only is able to articulate most of his needs, he also sings!
Christian’s love for music is a huge part of why he speaks. His parents, John and Wendy, explained that Christian loves to meet people he sees on stage, hears on the radio, or watches at hockey games. Pictures with these “new friends” elicits a continuous happiness in Christian because he can relive the events through the images afterwards.
It just so happens that Christian is a huge fan of Phllip Phillips. His songs resonate with Christian and often lead to him singing along whenever he hears them. So, when National Life was given the opportunity to arrange a meet and greet between Christian and our Do Good Fest headliner, it became our mission to do just that.
Prior to the meet and greet, Christian and his family were coming off six really tough weeks. This included two sets of five-day hospitalizations and three separate emergency room visits. Thankfully, mere days before the concert, Christian bounced back and although weak, was able to make it to our festival. The joy during the meeting was unmistakable, but we’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
Thank you to the Sell family for allowing us to share Christian’s story. Being able to provide him with this opportunity is why we do what we do. It truly does feel good to do good.