A Day of Baseball in the Park
By Elly Memoli
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
By Elly Memoli
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
My son Max is nine years old. He has moderately severe autism. Our days are consumed by getting him to school in an autism classroom, taking him to occupational and speech therapy after school, and on weekends, going to special equestrian events. Every once in a while an opportunity comes up that allows us to share our son and his story with others.
I received an email a couple of months ago about a chiropractor, Dr. Mark Means, who was planning a baseball event for kids with physical disabilities. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I called and asked if he was planning to include kids with developmental disabilities, like autism. He said "Well, I don't really know what autism is, but I will sure give it a try!" We exchanged several emails and phone calls after that. He told me about his plans for the day that included fireworks, team t-shirts and hats, popcorn and cotton candy, fire trucks and an honor guard. As the day grew closer, Max's dad purchased a brand new glove for him. Would he know what to do with it? Would it bother him to wear it? We didn't know, but we were willing to find out.
We pulled into the city park on Saturday morning and I choked up as I saw all the people there. I just couldn't believe all these people were there to make sure kids like mine had a great day and learned the joy of baseball. There were nearly 100 kids and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, all there to play baseball. Max donned his Marlins shirt and hat, and grinned from ear to ear as he walked around with his new glove on. Grandpa, Mom and Dad were there. What could be better than that?
When we arrived, we saw lots of kids that we knew with autism, Down syndrome, and many other kids that were confined to wheelchairs. As we walked up to the group, two boys in little league uniforms came up to Max and greeted him. These two boys took a special liking to Max and spent the majority of the day with him. Dr. Means had the whole day planned - we took photos, heard the national anthem sung, and listened to a prayer to kick off the day. The kids were divided up based on their ability and coaches, umpires, and little leaguers were all on hand to help them bat and field. I also joined my son on the field to help direct him to chase balls. Throughout the two innings the kids played, Max hit the ball and ran the bases. After the games finished we gathered around for the medal ceremony. Then, since it was such a blistering hot day, Dr. Means had the fire department open up their hoses to cool everyone down. Overall, it was one of the best days I can remember.
After the event, I sent a note to Dr. Means letting him know how much it meant to our family to participate in the baseball day at the park. I told him that sometimes parents of kids with disabilities tend to limit what they think their kids can do. It's people like him who say "why not?" that open us all up to the possibilities. We received a huge gift that day in letting Max learn about baseball. I told him about the two little leaguers who were so nice to my son and how proud I thought their parents would be. Ironically, a few days later I received an email from the mom of one of those boys who was so helpful to my son. She said, "meeting your son made a big impact on my son. I am so happy that my son was able to make a difference. He will never forget that day." I thought we were the ones who received the gift that day. Who knew that so many people could be impacted in so many ways, by the dream of one man? Thank you, Dr. Means!
I received an email a couple of months ago about a chiropractor, Dr. Mark Means, who was planning a baseball event for kids with physical disabilities. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I called and asked if he was planning to include kids with developmental disabilities, like autism. He said "Well, I don't really know what autism is, but I will sure give it a try!" We exchanged several emails and phone calls after that. He told me about his plans for the day that included fireworks, team t-shirts and hats, popcorn and cotton candy, fire trucks and an honor guard. As the day grew closer, Max's dad purchased a brand new glove for him. Would he know what to do with it? Would it bother him to wear it? We didn't know, but we were willing to find out.
We pulled into the city park on Saturday morning and I choked up as I saw all the people there. I just couldn't believe all these people were there to make sure kids like mine had a great day and learned the joy of baseball. There were nearly 100 kids and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, all there to play baseball. Max donned his Marlins shirt and hat, and grinned from ear to ear as he walked around with his new glove on. Grandpa, Mom and Dad were there. What could be better than that?
When we arrived, we saw lots of kids that we knew with autism, Down syndrome, and many other kids that were confined to wheelchairs. As we walked up to the group, two boys in little league uniforms came up to Max and greeted him. These two boys took a special liking to Max and spent the majority of the day with him. Dr. Means had the whole day planned - we took photos, heard the national anthem sung, and listened to a prayer to kick off the day. The kids were divided up based on their ability and coaches, umpires, and little leaguers were all on hand to help them bat and field. I also joined my son on the field to help direct him to chase balls. Throughout the two innings the kids played, Max hit the ball and ran the bases. After the games finished we gathered around for the medal ceremony. Then, since it was such a blistering hot day, Dr. Means had the fire department open up their hoses to cool everyone down. Overall, it was one of the best days I can remember.
After the event, I sent a note to Dr. Means letting him know how much it meant to our family to participate in the baseball day at the park. I told him that sometimes parents of kids with disabilities tend to limit what they think their kids can do. It's people like him who say "why not?" that open us all up to the possibilities. We received a huge gift that day in letting Max learn about baseball. I told him about the two little leaguers who were so nice to my son and how proud I thought their parents would be. Ironically, a few days later I received an email from the mom of one of those boys who was so helpful to my son. She said, "meeting your son made a big impact on my son. I am so happy that my son was able to make a difference. He will never forget that day." I thought we were the ones who received the gift that day. Who knew that so many people could be impacted in so many ways, by the dream of one man? Thank you, Dr. Means!
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