Autism Awareness Hits Home

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1412/1479633576_242c4e42e7_m.jpgIt was a simple act of kindness, but one that makes them Titans off the field as well as on.

Last Sunday morning, my wife and I went about the usual routine – getting the kids ready for religious education and mass in the morning, then whisking them back home and prepping our oldest son, Christian, for his early Sunday afternoon baseball practice.

Only this time, about halfway to the ball field in Aynor, Sue got the call that she needed to come back home to get Christian’s red game uniform. No reason given. “Just get it” was the instruction Coach Brian gave over the cell. “You’ll find out why once you get here.”

Aggravated and already running late, Sue begrudgingly complied and made the detour. By the time she made the requisite stop back home in Carolina Forest, got the uniform and made the long return trek to Aynor, my cell phone rang. It was Sue, sobbing on the other end.

“What the hell happened?” I asked.

“They’re all coming to Band Aid at Broadway (at the Beach) later,” she explained, calming down long enough to elaborate. “And they’re doing it in honor of Nicholas.”

Nicholas (pictured) is our youngest son. He’ll be four at the end of this month. And he has autism.

Make no mistake: we count our blessings, every day, that Nicholas doesn’t suffer from a life-threatening medical condition – an occurrence with which I’ve become all too familiar in my 12-year career association with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

But a funny thing happened in the course of my first 10 years of that experience. In order to work daily and effectively in that arena, I had to separate my job from the natural emotions that came with it. And along the way, I become almost anesthetized to the possibility that one day, I too would be in a remote semblance of those families’ shoes, and have to deal daily with the realities of my own child’s special needs.

That reality came two years ago with Nicholas’ preliminary diagnosis. Ever since, our family has been very fortunate to benefit from the comprehensive services and support Nicholas has received through Horry County Schools; the state of South Carolina; and local organizations like the Autism Advocate Foundation, which benefited from Sunday’s “Band Aid for Autism” event.

We’ve learned, and continue to learn, how to cope with the realities of his condition. More important, we’re done everything necessary to give Nicholas the best possible care, and the best possible chance of eventually enjoying a “mainstreamed” daily life. My ultimate dream? That some day, Nicholas will have progressed enough that we won’t intuitively think of him as a kid with autism. Some day, we – and he – will come to know Nicky as “just a kid.”

In the meantime, we’ve accepted the challenges associated with it. And we’ve grown accustomed to the stares and comments that come our way when Nicky has one of his epic meltdowns in a public place – a common occurrence among autistic children.

But it still doesn’t sting any less when you see another child tug on his mother’s sleeve and say, however unknowingly but with animated disdain, “Mommy, that kid’s retarded.”

Or when Mommy whisks him away with a disapproving look toward us, as if we’d sneezed on her Corn Flakes or committed a capital crime.

It’s very much like the emotions felt by Charlie and Maura Weis, who formed Hannah and Friends in honor of their daughter, to improve the quality of life of children and adults with special needs. One viewing of their compelling new video is a great reminder that, among many other things, there’s so much more to life than wins and losses on a football field.

For our family, it helps take the sting away. So, too, do those folks who may not have otherwise understood – when they simply take the time to try. Like the parents and kids of the Myrtle Beach Titans.

So thank you, one and all, to their parents and siblings, and to every team member:

• Connor F.
• Nicholas B.
• Reed K.
• Bryar J.
• Adam P.
• Donovan B.
• Ridge R.
• Christian R.
• Nick F.
• Tyler B.
• Austin S.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1036/1479634750_a2092d670c_m.jpgWhile our Christian (pictured, right) took time out on Sunday to thank each of his teammates personally, I, my wife Sue and the entire Maggio clan want you to know how much your support means – not only to us, but to every family of an autistic child. Your show of solidarity bolsters our faith that, with continued effort and awareness building, more and more families like ours will see the silver linings provided by families like yours.

For more information about autism and related conditions, visit these Web sites:

• Autism Advocate Foundation
• Autism Speaks
• Hannah and Friends

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