My Hero Cynda

She exuded empathy. I felt so comfortable. I had just met her. I told her of my baby boy's vomiting and weight loss. Her caring helped me. Later, I found out her daughter had profound cognitive and physical challenges.

My hero Cinda Collins Arsenault creates community. Early on with families of children with disabilities. That word - disabilities. She wrote a book that spoke of the gifts that people with this label give to the world. 

My hero reaches out. For 10 years she spent one day a week with her mother's best friend. That friend was declining cognitively. Cynda found the threads of connection right up to shortly before the friends death.

My hero wants to do more. She spends two years reading, studying, thinking, wanting to make a bigger impact. She realized that we are at a unique moment in time regarding outerspace, that there is opportunity to impact the direction of how humans will use outer space. She creates the Secure World Foundation to promote secure, sustainable and peaceful uses of outerspace. Her foundation has changed the conversation, particularly regarding sustainability of space.

My hero is the keynote speaker in Paris for an international meeting of space ministers. 

My hero still exudes empathy - for me, for my child, for the world.