"Veteran's 'Penny' Campaign Turns A Dream into Reality"

"The hurt of one is the hurt of all. And the honor of one is the honor of all."

"OHSWEKEN - This ancient Native teaching has certainly come true as the community rallies to help the Montour family.

Penny, the 22-month old daughter of Ervin and Shirley Montour, has an adorable smile, big brown eyes, and dark hair fringes her face in ringlets. She's happy, bright, a little shy, and has a good vocabulary, likely aided by the attention of her four older siblings.

But Penny has never walked. At the age of seven months, she was diagnosed with Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a rare terminal form of muscular dystrophy.

The Six Nations Veterans Association had launched a fundraiser to help send Penny and her parents to Disney World for a week. The veterans started the fund off with a $500 donation presented at a news conference.

"The charm of this little girl has since touched people in a special way, and is bringing out a lot of honorable feelings and action from those who know her," said Association president Joe Hill.

Choked up, the parents could only say "thank you" to the community.

"I think they're more or less overwhelmed with what is taking place, and the volunteer efforts.