Mark's Mom

I met Mark's Mom today. Bare with me as I try to explain who, what, and where. I first met Mark - well, not really met him but saw him at SRA Christmas Party where he sang Silent Night and of course I bawled my eyes out. I since then got him and another young adult confused and saw Mark on the front page of the paper doing some sport (I forget which) - and as I said to the young man who I thought was Mark - "oh, I saw you in the paper" - "no, that was Mark" he said and since then I've *kind* of kept them straight. :-)

Anywho - Mark has been in the paper more and more with track and field and Special Olympics - and I've seen him at chorus practice at the PD. So when I saw him again at the Torch Run and he ran the whole thing WITH the torch - I thought to myself "I've got to meet his Mom, she's GOT to be something." And I was right.

The reason I was so interested in meeting Mark's Mom was that even though I don't know exactly how old Mark is - I do know he's at *least* 10 years older than 2 and that means that in "those days" the special needs world was a WHOLE different arena. How true my thought was.

His Mom and I started to talk and when I asked his diagnosis she told me that she was one of the "refrigerator mothers" - that *lovely* term that was coined to describe the mother of an autistic person and *why* the child was autistic. She was told that she should put Mark in an institution. Thank GOD she did NOT listen!!!! Hurrrayyyyy for those refrigerator moms!!!! He is truly and inspiration! A very tall dark headed lad. He's always got a smile.

Well, you can imagine what happened when I told her that I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for doing all that hard work and not following "the rules" - we both started to weep (ok, you know me too well - *I* bawled). Here I am standing in the shadow of a true pioneer. She was on the first board of the American Autism Society. And her BEST work - well, he waved to us from the back of the van as they drove off to bowling club. I bawled all the way home....

Bowling Club- it was S's first time and her score was 63!!!! I'm totally impressed. She had a BALL! I can't wait to get her shoes and now I need to order a shirt for her. Daddy and I are going next week and we'll take pictures. She needs something to put up on the wall next to J's baseball picture.