Awesome Mary meets Ellen and takes over Hollywood, thanks to Magic Moments

Last February, Bham Now featured a story about Hoover High School student Mary White, aka. Awesome Mary, and her quest to meet her role model Ellen Degeneres. Thanks to Magic Moments, last month, Mary and her family were able to not only meet Ellen, but also tour some of Hollywood’s most iconic places and hang out with Micah Fowler, who plays J.J. on the ABC show Speechless.

Awesome Mary

Born with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus – a condition that has caused her to undergo 38 neurosurgeries, Mary has made it her mission to create a more positive world for those with disabilities. As Awesome Mary, she has become a YouTube sensation, and a popular public speaker.

Here are a couple of videos featuring Awesome Mary.

Video promoting United Ability’s Journey of Hope

Magic Moments trip to California

The 5 day magical trip organized by Magic Moments, included trips to iconic California locations, such as Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach; VIP tickets to the Ellen Degeneres Show, and a visit with Micah Fowler on the set of Shameless.

The highlight of the trip was of course meeting Ellen in person.

During the show, Mary got to sit in Ellen’s mama’s chair which is reserved for Ellen’s mother. She was also given a swag bag which was described as “swag-Awesome” by Mary.

After the first commercial break, Ellen walked up to Mary in the audience and gave Mary a hug and took photos. After the show, Mary got to sit onstage in Ellen’s chair. It was a dream come true.

Meeting Micah Fowler of Speechless

In addition to the VIP treatment at the Ellen Degeneres Show, Mary  got to “hang out” with Micah Fowler, star of the ABC hit show Speechless. While they waited for the filming of the show, they took the opportunity to film Micah and Mary in an Awesome Mary impromptu episode. Here is the Facebook post.

“It was a moment to remember,” declared Mary. 

Even the little funny things are memorable

The entire journey had so many fond memories for an inspirational young person, thanks to Magic Moments. According to Mary and Jana, her mom, perhaps one of the most memorable moments, if not funniest, was walking on the Santa Monica Pier with an ice cream cone.  Laughing and smiling from ear to ear, Mary described how a seagull swooped down toward her mother, shocked and stole (ate) the ice cream cone out of her hand.

“It was really funny,” said a joyful Mary.

Magic Moments

Magic Moments Executive Director Sandy Naramore summed up why their work is important.

“This is the goal of Magic Moments, we provide special requests for children ages 4 to 18 in the state of Alabama. Today, we have provided over 4700 Magic Moments to children in all 67 counties. We are very proud of what we have been able to do with success stories like Mary.”