"Dee-Lexia is a little bit good."

Those are the words of 6 year old Elisabeth, who is recounting what she learned from her newest ally - NFL star and Vanderbilt graduate, Jovan Haye. Decoding Dyslexia, Tennessee held a book signing for Haye last weekend. While they were looking forward to the event, they didn't realize how powerful this experience would be. Everyone in the room is affected by dyslexia, including Haye himself. Brothers, sisters, parents, friends, students and teachers all came here to listen. . .and learn. He tells of a childhood filled with emotions - fun running around with his friends in Jamaica, but feelings of being "less than" as soon as he entered school. If it wasn't for a special teacher, Ms Patton, he's not sure that he would be where he is now. “She noticed that I did better when I was interested in a subject. She told me that I need to stop using dyslexia as an excuse, and she was right.”

That was a turning point in his life.

“That night, I lay on my back in bed staring at the ceiling, and I prayed. ‘Lord, help me get through this.’ Tears ran down my face. ‘I promise I’ll do better, Lord. Please help me.’” Jovan continues, “He must have heard, because suddenly, a light switched on. For the first time in my life, I believed in my heart that I could fight and defeat dyslexia.

It wasn't easy.

Read more on the blog Dee-Lexia run by Decoding Dyslexia Mom, Jules.

Add Jovan Haye's book, "Bigger Than Me; How a Boy Conquered Dyslexia to Play in the NFL, to your bookshelf from the Learning Ally library. To learn more about Learning Ally's services for teachers, check out our Teacher Ally page. Are you a parent with questions about your child's dyslexia? Join our Learning Ally Facebook Parent Chat. For a more private conversation about the signs of dyslexia, schedule a 30 minute consultation with one of our Parent Support Specialists by visiting www.LearningAlly.org/Parent or calling 800-635-1403.