The Bellie of the ball
Photo by Juan Ocampo/Courtesy Los Angeles Kings
The story in today's Daily News about Isabella Masenga and her love of hockey as she lives with autism -- finally getting her Christmas wish to go to a Kings' game, which happened Saturday at Staples Center -- is one that perhaps many families with special-needs children experience every day.
Many sports teams are trying to be more aware and accomodate those with special needs. The Kings, for example, are hosting an Autism Awareness Night in conjunction with "Athletes Against Autism" and "Autism Speaks" on Feb. 21st when the St. Louis Blues are in town.
Among the local groups supporting autism research we've become more aware of lately is the HollyRod Foundation -- formed by former USC and NFL quarterback Rodney Peete with his wife, Holly Robinson Peete. They have a 10-year-old son, Rodney Jr., diagnosed with autism as a todler. Their upcoming charity event taking place during Super Bowl week is partnered with the Phoenix based Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center.
Autism, in many different forms, affects 1 in every 150 children. Other links to autism support and information groups:
The Los Angeles Families for Effective Autism Treatment (LAFEAT)
The UCLA Autism Evaluation Clinic (and other local organizations)
The National Autism Association
One postscript to Bellie's story:
It continues to amaze her mother, Suzanne, and father, Tom, about how she's even made a connection with hockey, a sports that's hardly on the family radar.
Suzanne said she asked Bellie how she knew about hockey.
On her portable word processor, Bellie typed: "god."
It got Suzanne to consider taking her new conversations with Bellie, who has yet to speak a word, to another level.
"Do you believe in God," Suzanne asked.
"Yes," Bellie typed.
"Who is God?"
"A good friend," Bellie typed.
"Where is he?"
"In heaven," Bellie typed.
"What is heaven?"
"A paradise so I can see God always," Bellie typed, even hitting the shift lock key so she would now capitalize the "G" in "God."
Comments
What a touching story about Bellie. It makes us think about what goes on in the minds of children....especially one's who cannot speak. This story also ties in the spiritual awareness that Bellie has, and her simple honesty about God. I think I will pay more attention to my own children and their unspoken awareness of God and the world around them. Thank you for writing this story.
Posted by: Tammy Sergeant | January 22, 2008 11:45 AM