I first watched the film The Blind Side while I was in university several years back. I had wondered why it was nominated for an Academy Award, and at the time, I was doing marathons of Oscar films, but this film caught my attention somehow. It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress, winning the Oscar for Sandra Bullock. It lost to The Hurt Locker.
After I watched it, I felt moved and inspired by it. It was definitely a heart-warming film that can restore our faith in humanity. It depicted the true-to-life story of Michael Oher and his foster family, the Tuohys, who had adopted him during his final year in high school. He later received a scholarship, graduated with a degree in criminal justice, and eventually, was drafted into the NFL.
What the film didn't show us however, were the events prior to his meeting with the Tuohys. Although it had been mentioned that Oher's mother had drug addiction, and that he bounced from one foster care to another, the movie never showed how Oher lived despite his circumstances.
We only see how he became a beneficiary of the goodwill shown to him by the Tuohys, but in the video above, he explains how he struggled and fought to escape the environment wherein he grew up. He shares how he was inspired by Michael Jordan to have aspirations and ambitions in life, and to work toward achieving those dreams. This is the untold story of Michael Oher.
(Video credit: Big Think/Youtube)
They also didn't adopt him.