Qualeigh (Kwa-lee) spent the first six years of his life living inside an institution.  And in those six years he had never been outside. He lived in a room on the 2^nd floor of a state-run nursing facility along with 30 other children with developmental disabilities.  But Mrs. Martins knew in her heart there was a better life waiting for Qualeigh.  But first she had to coax him into the 2^nd floor elevator in order to get him to go outside.  No easy task.

Qualeigh kicked and screamed but Mrs. Martins didn’t give up on him.  A childhood is an experience most of us take for granted—an experience that can’t be replaced. Qualeigh finally made it into the elevator and outside for the first time in his life. Qualeigh now lives with Mrs. Martins and her family. She fell in love with the little boy and resigned from her teaching position so that she could show him the world outside the walls of that institution.