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PROVO -- The real-life mother and sister of Michael Oher were in Utah Tuesday to share their story that was inspiration for the movie "The Blind Side."
"The Blind Side" has been a big success at the box office and was nominated for Best Picture for the 2010 Academy Awards.
Leigh Anne and Collins Tuohy -- two of the key characters in the film -- traveled to Utah and spoke to hundreds of students at Utah Valley University about the movie and their own experiences that inspired the film.
The family says they hope the movie inspires others to make a difference in their own communities by reaching out to others. Leigh Anne told the students miracles can happen when you don't judge people or underestimate their value.
"Someone today you will pass, and in your mind you will place a value on them," she said. "The problem is, a lot of times we don't know the true value of that person."
Leigh Anne was played in the movie by Sandra Bullock, who is nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in the role. Leigh Anne said the movie did a good job at staying true to the story of how they offered their home to Oher and took him off the streets.
Leigh Anne says it was a great surprise to get a call Tuesday morning in her Orem hotel room and hear the movie had picked up some Academy Award nominations. Still, she told the students it doesn't matter to her if the movie wins awards or not. To her, the purpose of the movie is to inspire people to help others, and if it does that, it was a success.
"I hope it challenges them to get out of their comfort zone and do something they wouldn't normally do," she said, "And if people will do that, the movie will be a greater success than it already is."
The movie "The Blind Side" is scheduled for DVD release at the end of March.
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Story compiled with contributions from Sam Penrod and Randall Jeppesen.
