Hundreds join to raise autism awareness

Some came wearing sweatpants and running shoes and did stretches on the cool morning grass. Others pushed strollers and still others barely old enough to be out of those strollers held the hand of a nearby adult as they walked.

But at Northern Montana Hospital's Community Fitness Park, all those there early Saturday morning were there for the same reason: to help raise money to set up a summer camp for children with autism.

The 5K/one-mile Autism Awareness Fun Run and Walk was organized by parents of children with autism.

The park was outfitted for the occasion with puzzle pieces, the universal sign for autism, spray painted on the park lawn Thursday night, by hospital staff and volunteers.

Runners would take part in one of two courses: the 5-kilometer and the one mile.

The 5-kilometer course started at the park and went through the parking lot, down around the Montana State University-Northern and back to the park. The one-mile route followed the sidewalk across and around the park. About 12 members of Hill County Search and Rescue, along with Havre Police, sought to provide guidance for walkers and ensure they did not veer from the designated route,

Cost of registration was $20 for individuals, $10 for children and $45 for families.

Jesse Fuzesy, a family support specialist with Quality Life Concepts, a social services agency with an office in Havre, said proceeds would go toward forming a local summer camp for children on the spectrum.

She said last year, Quality Life Concepts was able to fund a pilot program for such a summer camp with a donation from Pacific Steel and Recycling. She said the program was a tremendous success, giving youngsters on the autism spectrum some structure and allowing them to partake in some of the same activities children not on the spectrum get to take part in.

Summer activities can often be a challenge for children with autism given that they are often carried out independently and with minimal instruction, Fuzesy said.

This program however, caters to their needs.

Fuzesy said she and others wanted to do something similar this year, but lacked the funding, so some parents of children who were part of the camp decided to organize the run.

As of Friday morning, 270 people were registered, but with a torrent of last-minute entrants signing up at a table staffed by organizers, they would exceed that number.

Fuzesy said that while she did not have exact totals as of Sunday night, she gauged the number of those who took part in the run to be close to 400.

Saturday alone brought in $3,000, in addition to $6,000 in pre-registration fees and donations leading up to the race, she said.

Fuzesy said runners were primarily from Havre, but others came from Chinook, Big Sandy and as far away as Browning and Helena.

Autism is a range of developmental disabilities. The severity of the symptoms and how they manifest themselves differ from person to person.

However, Fuzesy said, there are three hallmarks that are to some degree present in all those with autism. Those on the spectrum have difficulty socializing, exhibit nonstereotypical behavior such as rocking back and forth and constantly repeating lines from movies, and having trouble communicating.

Fuzesy said the high turnout for the walk can be attributed, at least in part, to the jump in autism diagnoses among children.

She said recent statistics show that 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism, and that number spikes to 1 in 42 among boys.

"Autism touches everyone," she said.

Those who participated in the run did so for different reasons.

Some such as Jade Nystrom, who later went on to win the 5K run, said he did not have any close family members on the autism spectrum, but he came out to support the cause.

But for many, such as Jennifer Durward, a nurse practitioner in Havre, the reason for being at the park Saturday, could not be more personal.,

Durward brought her son Louis, and they both did the one-mile walk.

Louis is like so many boys his age. He has braces on his teeth, loves the science fiction series "Dr. Who," plays video games and is a Boy Scout. And like an increasing number of young people, he is on the autism spectrum.

She said Louis was first diagnosed as being on the spectrum when he was 5 years old.

"When I first realized something was different with Louis, you go through that stage of denial, that there is something wrong with your baby," Durward said.

She said that as symptoms become more apparent, grief often sets in because parents know the challenges they face will be challenges they face for the rest of their lives.

After a while, she said, they come to terms with the diagnosis and realize their child is unique, she said. Once parents come to grips with that, she said, the focus becomes how, despite the obstacles, to make it so they can have a successful, happy life.

Jeremy Malley, whose 5-year-old son, Henry, has a more advanced form of autism, said Henry's inability to talk can make it difficult to figure out the source of Henry's frustration when he becomes upset,

But, Malley said, with the challenges come rewards.

Each advance, each bit of progress, no matter how minute, becomes a small victory.

Things that would be overlooked or would be a given with neurotypical children can seem monumental.

"That's kind of like a regular parent watching their kid win state basketball, mine instead is letting me know he went to the bathroom. So you learn to celebrate the small things," he said.