On our Lakewood blog this morning, Rachel Stone told you about a screening tomorrow, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Magnolia Theater of the documentary "Torey’s Distraction". The movie is about 17-year-old Woodrow Wilson high schooler Torey Harrah and her lifelong struggle with a craniofacial abnormality called Apert Syndrome.
Torey’s is a fascinating tale (we are running a story about her in our East Dallas magazine in April), so I have no doubt the movie will be inspiring. Plus, I just learned that it is especially meaningful to Lake Highlands parents Tate and April Gorman, who have a son with a craniofacial abnormality called Crouzon’s Syndrome:
April, Tate, and their son John were dining at Coach’s Burgers in Lake Highlands when a woman approached them and asked them if their baby had Cruzon’s Syndrome. At the time, the Gormans were feeling a lot of confusion, and their son’s condition had not yet been diagnosed, April Gorman says. The woman shared her own experiences, told the couple of several good resources, and recommended a doctor.
“Meeting her gave us resources we didn’t have before … but she also helped us find some peace of mind," April says. "Her story and her confidence made it all feel … not so heavy.”
The Gormans eventually joined the Dallas-based Children’s Craniofacial Association and were invited to the first screening of "Torey’s Distraction" — it wasn’t until they saw her on screen that they realized the woman they’d met at Coach’s way back when was "the" Torey’s mom, Andrea Harrah.
Since that meeting, the Gormans have come to grips with their son’s condition, April says.
“You know, when you find out you are going to have a baby, you make all these plans … I want him to go to Harvard, and that kind of thing … now all I want is for him to be happy.”
She hopes that by seeing the movie, others will find the same sort of hope for the future that her family has found. The Gormans now have another little one at home too — 18-month-old girl, Rory Cate.
Image is from toreysdistraction.com.
