Some young teens like pop music, some like cars, but for twelve-year-old Spencer, he is enthralled by space! The great universe surrounding us keeps Spencer wanting stellar answers to his interstellar questions.
Living with bilateral hearing loss, Spencer worked hard on his speech development in his early years, and along with it came a curiosity for learning, developing into his deep interest in space. This curiosity was met with a lot of research by Spencer, looking through books at the library, documentaries about space, and Google. Although Spencer had a great understanding of astronomy for someone his age, he wasn’t satisfied. Spencer had a need to know the answers to his deep-space questions, and thanks to your support, Shine was able to satisfy Spencer’s curiosities.
The best way Spencer could receive the answers he was looking for was through expert help, but that was hard to come by on his own. Shine knew that an astronaut with first-hand space experience would be the expert to complete the task, and who better than Colonel Chris Hadfield? Colonel Hadfield, a retired Canadian Astronaut, took time to meet with Spencer online to discuss Spencer’s most burning questions. Chris started the call by talking about the sounds heard in space and related this to Spencer’s cochlear implant. With so many deep discussions, the two of them talked for twice as long as they had originally planned.
To add to Spencer’s dream, Shine provided him with a telescope and space books signed by Col. Hadfield. “The telescope you provided has become Spencer's window to the stars, igniting his imagination and curiosity like never before,” his family shared.
The impact of Spencer’s call with Col. Hadfield has been life-changing. Spencer is less worried in life because he now knows the answers to some of his most important questions. His reduced stress and inspiration of his interest in space has boosted his socialization with friends and fellow astrophiles. His passion has only skyrocketed, with new guidance from Col. Hadfield on what to study in school and the steps he needs to take to reach his goal of becoming an astrobiologist. His future horizon is as endless as the universe he continues to explore!
