DETROIT LAKES - Ever since Lillian Covey learned how to walk, she's collected hundreds of cans to help save the environment.
And her developmental delays and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder haven't stopped her from proving to other disabled kids that they can do it too.
The 3-year-old has collected 485 pounds of cans over the past two years and last week, she received a check for $160 from Minnkota Recycling.
The energetic Ogema toddler was born with developmental delays that require frequent speech and physical therapy. She was also later diagnosed with ADHD, a common disorder that runs in her family.
But her grandmother and full-time guardian, Donna Olson, only has good times and laughs with her. Lillian adds something extra to her life.
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"She's precious," Olson said.
Her grandparents taught her all about recycling, which is why when she sees a can on the side of the road, she picks it up.
Olson wants to send a message to all of the special needs kids out there, that it's possible to be "normal" and participate in activities that all of the other kids partake in.
And with her experience raising a child with Cerebral Palsy and ADHD, -- her son and Lillian's father -- she works hard to provide Lillian with the best care and education possible, as well as avoid any emotional problems that could arise from her disabilities.
"I learned a lot from that one," Olson said of her son's illnesses.
He was born with a heart disease and wasn't able to learn how to walk until he was 5 years old. He was always teased at school -- his peers told him he was useless, they called him "the retard" and told him he shouldn't be alive, Olson said.
Olson recalled her son saying "some kids told me to go kill myself cuz I ain't good for nothing," she said. At a football game, his peers convinced him to go lay on railroad tracks and commit suicide.
But his brother was able to find him before he ended his life.
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The other kids provoked him constantly, Olson said, adding that unfortunately, disabled children are still bullied at school nowadays.
"I'm not gonna let her go to any games at all," Olson said of Lillian, citing the trauma she experienced years ago as a reason that makes her even more protective of her granddaughter.
"Every kid should treat every kid equally, even if they're disabled," she said. "Special needs kids need love as much as a regular child."
Lillian plans to buy a new game for her PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the rest will be put into savings.
