Kathleen’s Place
Senior Member
- Location
- Wisconsin
Long so please bear with me. Our soon to be 21 year old grandson was born with super severe club feet. (Picture both feet turned completely up to legs). He was in surgery and put in full lower body cast when he was 2 days old and stayed in it until he was a year and a half. It worked, and he can walk, but one can tell he has problems with his feet. At 3 he was diagnosed as being in the autistic spectrum. Years of sheer hell passed by as this wonderful sweet little boy would fly into rages (of course over the years there were things happening, signs, but it all led up to this hellishness.) His parents, mother in particular, were amazing, getting him the help he so desperately needed, and they both pretty much gave up any life of their own lives and money, to focus not only on Seans special needs, but paying equal attention and love to his younger brother who was (hate using this word) “normal.” My husband and I too played a huge part in their lives. Sean, with all of his problems, was smarter than a whip, as some autistic kids are. Flash forward to Sean in 8th grade. Medication is now somewhat controllong his rages. He tells me he decided to go out for, of all things, Cross Country. We would go to his races. Everyone would line up, the gun would go off, and off they went in a flash. Sean was like Yurtel the Turtle, far far far behind in the pack with his poor little feet plugging along. The race would be over and they would be taking down the finishing line banners...and here would come my swwet grandson. I would have tears in my eyes as he finished. He never, not once, gave up that whole season. And Grandma and Grandpa cried at each and every race...tears of proudness.
When he was probably in 5th grade he became interested in the computer game Roblox, and like everything else, he was a whiz at it. He stayed with it, learning as he went. We worried he was spending too much time gaming, but this was his world. A place where he was “normal” and not harassed and bullied for being different.
in high school, they finally found the right medication that worked for Sean. Between that and his therapy sessions where he learned how to cope with his problems, and deal with them himself before they escalated, made life calmer for him and for all of us. The shunning, bullying continued, but in usual Sean fashion, he dealt with it, excelled in school, always made the high honor roll and in his senior year was inducted into the National Honor Society and was given 3 scholarships . In his junior year of high school he created and submitted his own game to Roblox and it was a success. He made quite a bit of money on that game. When he graduated, Roblox accepted him into a summer internship program in San Francisco. We were worried sick. Sean had never spent a night away from home, except at our house in his entire life. But he wanted to take it so badly. So after a lot of financial help from all of us, off to California he, his Mom and Dad, and brother flew. He was set up in the program, an apartment was found close to the campus that he could share with 4 other guys. The rest of the family flew back home and Sean, for the first time in his troubled life, was on his own. And he flourished. Never ever had we seen him so happy. The internship ended and Sean flew home more determined than ever to make the gaming industry his career. He used the money he had saved from his internship and the money he had saved from the game he created, to enroll in a tech school to get an assoc degree in computer science. He will graduate from college this summer. BUT THE BIG NEWS...2 weeks ago he applied for a job with a start up gaming company located in New York. He went thru 5 zoom interviews with various departments, and ladt Friday was offered the job! He works from home, $60k a year, doing what he loves to do. They work in teams and on each team is a design expert, a creative expert, an artistic expert, and a technical expert (who will be Sean). My boy!!!!!
. So with all of the bad stuff happening in our world, I wanted to tell you a happy, inspiring, good thing. It’s another stepping stone in Sean’s life and I honestly think the world is going to be hearing more about this kid in the future 
When he was probably in 5th grade he became interested in the computer game Roblox, and like everything else, he was a whiz at it. He stayed with it, learning as he went. We worried he was spending too much time gaming, but this was his world. A place where he was “normal” and not harassed and bullied for being different.
in high school, they finally found the right medication that worked for Sean. Between that and his therapy sessions where he learned how to cope with his problems, and deal with them himself before they escalated, made life calmer for him and for all of us. The shunning, bullying continued, but in usual Sean fashion, he dealt with it, excelled in school, always made the high honor roll and in his senior year was inducted into the National Honor Society and was given 3 scholarships . In his junior year of high school he created and submitted his own game to Roblox and it was a success. He made quite a bit of money on that game. When he graduated, Roblox accepted him into a summer internship program in San Francisco. We were worried sick. Sean had never spent a night away from home, except at our house in his entire life. But he wanted to take it so badly. So after a lot of financial help from all of us, off to California he, his Mom and Dad, and brother flew. He was set up in the program, an apartment was found close to the campus that he could share with 4 other guys. The rest of the family flew back home and Sean, for the first time in his troubled life, was on his own. And he flourished. Never ever had we seen him so happy. The internship ended and Sean flew home more determined than ever to make the gaming industry his career. He used the money he had saved from his internship and the money he had saved from the game he created, to enroll in a tech school to get an assoc degree in computer science. He will graduate from college this summer. BUT THE BIG NEWS...2 weeks ago he applied for a job with a start up gaming company located in New York. He went thru 5 zoom interviews with various departments, and ladt Friday was offered the job! He works from home, $60k a year, doing what he loves to do. They work in teams and on each team is a design expert, a creative expert, an artistic expert, and a technical expert (who will be Sean). My boy!!!!!
. So with all of the bad stuff happening in our world, I wanted to tell you a happy, inspiring, good thing. It’s another stepping stone in Sean’s life and I honestly think the world is going to be hearing more about this kid in the future 
. And please keep those who are mentally ill and not as lucky as Sean, in your daily prayers 
It is in the smilies place, click 
the icon beside the
