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| Tammi Halvorson and her crew, back from left: Robert, Rosemary and Esprit, the therapy dog. Front, Joseph and, in her lap, Patrick. (Special thanks to Paducah Life and photographer J.T. Crawford for the beautiful photo!) |
"My mother has a degree in social work, and I typed some of her papers when I was a teenager and she was in school," Halvorson recalls. "I saw in Patrick a lot of the characteristics that I remembered from papers she wrote about autism. But when I talked about it, everyone thought I was crazy. My doctor would tell me that you can't compare the milestones of boys with girls. But I knew I was right about this."
Turns out, Halvorson was right. After several evaluations, doctors and therapists diagnosed Patrick with severe autism.
That was five years ago, and today, there’s far more awareness of autism in Western Kentucky thanks to the tireless efforts of Halvorson and the parents of other children with autism that she met while researching treatments for Patrick. The parents became so close-knit that they formed an official education and support group, Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT), in 2006.The group, 60 members strong, meets at 6 p.m., the first Tuesday of the month, at Easter Seals. Experts present new information on autism treatments, and the parents share their experiences.
On Saturday, April 26, the group is holding its 2nd Annual FEAT on the Street 5K Run and Walk at Noble Park. Registration at Shelter 10 starts at 8 a.m., with the run/walk kicking off at 9 a.m. The event features visits from the Teletubbies, a National Guard obstacle course, inflatables, a "Hope Floats" balloon release and a live remote from CAT 105.5. Registration forms are available here.Part of this year's proceeds will benefit the Special Needs Playground planned for Noble Park, with the rest used for more educational programs — including training for police officers, firefighters and ambulance staff to learn how to interact with children with autism in emergency situations.
"For example," Halvorson says, "if our house was on fire, Rosemary would be screaming her head off. But Patrick wouldn't. So unless a firefighter knew Patrick was there, he might get left behind. We need a system so that emergency personnel know which homes have special needs kids and how to approach them."Now 5, Patrick's progress in the past few years has been remarkable thanks to the doctors associated with Defeat Autism Now. Halvorson found the group on the Internet.
"I stumbled across a paper about autism and mercury poisoning, and it was clear to me that Patrick had all the symptoms," Halvorson says. "When the DAN doctors tested him, they found that he was filled with mercury and lead. We all come into contact with these metals in everyday life, but Patrick's immune system doesn't release them. And I think that's what causes his autism."
Patrick now goes through chelation therapy each month to remove the metals. "He's doing so much better now," Halvorson says. "It's amazing the difference it makes."
Speaking of amazing, along with Rosemary, now 6, and Patrick, Halvorson has Robert, 4, and Joseph, 3. She also has five Taco Johns restaurants in Paducah, Murray, Mayfield and Benton, and the Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits in Paducah. And she is absolutely stunning.How does she do it all?
“I think being in the restaurant business for all these years helps,” she says. “Every day is different. You never know what you’re walking into. It’s just life.
"Patrick is just a blessing," she adds. "Because of him, I’ve been able to meet so many people. It’s made me a better person, and I hope it makes his sister and brothers better people.
"When I make decisions, I always look at it as: No. 1, is it harmful to him? If the answer is no, then next I think to myself, if I were five, would I have wanted my parents to do everything they could for me? And I think, yes. I would have wanted that."
