News

Carol Stream family walking to support Grant

Posted May 26, 2009 11:00 pm

Daily Herald Staff Report

Each weekend thousands of people take to the streets of our communities, walking and running to raise money for charities. Every one of them has found a cause to believe in, a bit of hope through helping. And every one of them has a reason for being there.

Today, Joan Camper of Carol Stream shares her family's story of how the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association has helped her son Grant and why she will walk in WDSRA's Run, Rock and Roll 5K on Sunday, May 31.

Our son, Grant, has been our inspiration for many years and is now the reason we are walking in the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association's Run, Rock and Roll 5K on May 31.

Grant has participated in WDSRA programs since he was 3 years old. WDSRA has given him so many opportunities and activities to participate in - camps, social clubs, special events and Special Olympics. No other organization supporting our area can begin to offer children and adults with disabilities such a variety of opportunities to develop and reach their full potential. By supporting WDSRA, we can help ensure it can continue to offer such programs to all participants.

Grant was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old. We knew something was wrong at about 18 months. We began trying to find answers, but all we got were more questions and a variety of diagnoses.

This was a very difficult time for us. We have twins, Tim and Ted, just one year older than Grant and had our hands full. When they were little, it was very difficult to go anywhere. Grant would cry and melt down when he left the house. If we had friends over and it was louder than normal in the house, he would cry and melt down.

It was a bit like being trapped in his world. We were afraid of rocking the boat, but at the same time we knew we had to if he was going to live in our world.

WDSRA really helped us deal with this problem. They provided us with one-on-one assistance in our Carol Stream Park District programs, a trained professional who could help ease Grant into each program. He also began participating in WDSRA's early childhood programs, which opened up more opportunities for Grant in an accepting environment. WDSRA helped us meet other parents dealing with similar situations. It is like a built-in support group.

Our strategy has worked. Grant has learned to deal with the world and all the daily changes that come his way. Now that he is in high school we get to deal with the future. We talk about where he will live and work. We also have to plan for our retirement and still provide for his lifetime care.

Having a child with disabilities is a lifetime commitment. It won't be long before Tim and Ted go to college and move on to adulthood. We know Grant's future will be different and that it is up to us to make sure he reaches his full potential.

Now the good news. After we got over the diagnosis and began to deal with our situation, we realized that autism is not the end of the world. There are a lot of treatment options and therapies available. We have tried the gluten-free diet, vitamins, chealation, a social therapy called RDI. As a result he has made great progress.

Grant is a happy guy. He loves school, sports, his service dog and traveling. Grant has traveled around the world with great success. He deals with new places, different languages and different foods very well. He still doesn't like green food, but at least he simply asks for it to be removed from his plate now. In the old days he wouldn't eat, he would just cry.

He loves Special Olympics. He competes in swimming, basketball, track and field, softball and cross-country skiing, and is going to try volleyball this fall. He has gone from meltdowns when it was loud to standing in front of a cheering crowd to receive his medal.

Grant's friends are, for the most part, his WDSRA buddies. They go to each other's birthday's parties and the movies, and they have sleepovers. They check with each other at registration time to make sure they all sign up for the same programs.

We have gone through some very difficult times and ended up in a good place. We are very proud of his progress and will continue pushing for more.

We have learned we are a lot stronger than we thought we were. We have had to deal with situations and make decisions we never thought we would have to. We have spent a lot of sleepless nights worrying about him and questioning some of the decisions we made.

We recently read an article that roughly 80 percent of couples with autistic children end up divorced. A week ago we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary and are still going strong.

We have received immeasurable support from WDSRA. Imagine having a child who is unable to participate in all the activities that "typical children" participate in. Grant wasn't welcome because he couldn't follow directions and didn't "fit in." At no cost to us, WDSRA provided one-on-one assistance to Grant in all his park districts programs. With help he participated in preschool, T-ball, and arts and crafts. With a little help, he did fit in. He was successful for the first time and had fun.

He loves his WDSRA programs, particularly Special Olympics. He will go to Bloomington-Normal in June to compete in the Illinois Summer Games in swimming. This summer, he will participate in Camp TIA, or Teens In Action. WDSRA opened up a world of opportunities to Grant.

We have never done a walk before. We are walking as a family to say thank you for all the opportunities WDSRA has provided for all the participants. Anyone interested should feel free to join us. Just call WDSRA, (630) 681-0962. It should be fun.

If anyone wants to make a donation to WDSRA to help ensure great quality programs, just give the office a call and say Grant sent you!

With help from the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, Joan Camper's son, Grant, has gone from crying at loud noises to loving the cheers of the crowd at his sports events. Courtesy of the Camper family

WDSRA's Run, Rock and Roll 5K Why: To support the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association and its programs for children and adults with special needs When: Registration at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, May 31; 9 a.m. wheelchair start; 9:10 a.m. run/walk start Where: Carol Stream Town Center, Gary Avenue at Lies Road Cost: Participants collect donations, $100 suggested but not required Details: Live music along the route; certified course, officially timed; T-shirts, refreshments, trophies and prizes Donate: (630) 681-0962, <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/wdsra5k" target="new">active.com/donate/wdsra5k</a> or <a href="http://www.wdsra.com" target="new">wdsra.com</a> Info: <a href="http://www.wdsra.com" target="new">wdsra.com</a>

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