The Greatest night of my life - on the Cabot Trail Relay

[Guest guest]

Last weekend participated in a 24 hour, 175 mile, 17 leg, relay

race around the beautiful Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova

Scotia. He has blogged his account here:

http://therunman.blogspot.com/2008/05/greatest-night-of-my-life-cabot-trail.html

Something doesn't mention there -- Kim (team leader) asked if

she could tell the race organizer about so he could be

recognized at the post race banquet and I gave her the ok. We were

saying that perhaps we could undo some of the harm

may have done there. When his team members asked about Mr. I

basically explained and they, like other people I've talked to about

this, were outraged by Mr. 's message. It seems so easy for

people to " get it " coming from and I that it is wrong to " raise

autism awareness " by spreading the message that we, and people like

us, are a " burden " and should be cured and ultimately prevented from

existing in the first place. I guess more people need to hear it from

those of us on the spectrum......

Anyway......the first announcement made at the banquet as he started

the awards etc. was something to the effect of " Team PEI wants to

acknowledge and announce that one of their team members is autistic

and he runs for autism awareness " . At that point lit up, stood

up and took off his hat and waved it, turning around so see everyone

(our table was pretty much in the middle of them all, the banquet was

in the local rink). Then, the roughly 1,000 runners there stood and

gave him a very loud standing ovation.

Later a man approached, shook 's hand and asked him how old he

was when hew started running. He has 5 & 7 year old autistic kids, a

boy & girl and was very inspired to hear of 's running.

On the ferry boat coming home I bought a coffee and gave exact change

but it turned out I gave the cashier an extra dime. I mumbled

something about being sleep deprived.... When the announcement came

to return to our vehicles as the ferry was docking, the cashier

approached me and asked me what my hat was about. I had been wearing

my " Autistics Pace Themselves " hat (The Autism Diva made this and

sold it on her Cafe Press site) all weekend. I told her was

autistic, I looked around but he wasn't there at the time and she

said " he was sitting here with you earlier? " . I said he was, I told

her a bit about him and she said she had an autistic son in grade 2.

I have her 's blog url (having realized I should have given it to

the guy at the banquet earlier), found and left. Later, thinking

about how she was likely observing us since I bought the coffee, I

was thinking about what she had seen. She would have seen

standing, " hovering " as he does, looking quite autistic. She'd also

have seen him sitting with a bunch of us, Team PEI members and fellow

runners from another PEI team, as a peer, in conversation (though he

is very limited in his " conversation skills " ). He was asked about the

whole experience, his leg, the watch he won etc etc. She likely saw

him come back looking for quarters when he found the arcade machines,

picking up and reading a brochure, and independently exploring the

boat. If I were her, wondering about the future of my son in grade 2,

I'd have felt very hopeful that everything would be ok - he could

grow up to be happy, healthy, independent in so many ways and with

family and friends who love and like him a lot and enjoy his company.

The Cabot Trail Relay itself was a phenomenal experience for both of

us and who knows what 's " Running FOR Autism, not against it "

advocacy may have accomplished.

-jypsy

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