Lena Wallman
Ten-year-old Lena Wallman’s facial expressions can communi-cate volumes. This Festus girl has had five major ear surgeries and many painful adjustments in the past few years. She struggles to communicate in an effective way but her teacher reports that her expressions of excitement and concern tell the world what she’s thinking.
Born with Down syndrome, and severe hearing loss. Lena, who has a special twin sister named Madison, was nominated by her teacher for her diligence at school and how loved she is by her classmates and teachers. Known for her bear hugs, Lena is always trying to cheer up her fellow students when she sees that they are sad or upset.
Lena is a member of the Special Olympics bowling and track and field teams. She placed second in her age group at the Special Olympics bowling tournament last October. She has also placed second in the standing long jump and third in the 50-meter dash making her mom Sherri Wallman very proud.