Sean Stephenson: Is This Going to Be A Gift Or A Burden?'

It's a gift and thank you Sean Stephenson for being you.

"He s quick to credit his parents, Gregg and Gloria Stephenson, who live with him in Oak Brook, and his sister, Heidi, with developing his inner strength. Apart from that fateful Halloween lesson and the daily, physical support they give their son, the Stephensons emphasized a few basics: They made him focus on what he can do and dismiss what he cannot. They used an egg-timer to contain his episodes of self-pity to 15 minutes a day. During his frequent bouts of pain, they would ask him to visualize pleasant memories. And they refused to hide him.

"You decide to face the music," his mom said. "He was a child first. The OI and the wheelchair come next."Added his dad: "We tried to instill a lot of positive things in his life, but he took it and ran with that. It all comes down to what someone does with what they have."