STELLARTON – Her son quietly standing near her, Lucy Bowser spoke of some of the struggles she sometimes will face as a mother of a child with autism.
“There’s lot of anxiety, a lot of routine, lots of hand sanitizer for us,” she said on Saturday, taking a break for a few minutes as the Autism Nova Scotia- Pictou County Chapter held its annual walk on Saturday morning. She said it is important to maintain a sense of normalcy in the family.
“Just trying to keep things as mellow as we can – because the little things can get really big really fast.”
Bowser and her daughter Courtney were walking in support of Lucy’s nine-year-old son Rex, who tagged along for the walk.
“Rex was late being diagnosed, so when you get a diagnosis, you have to seek out the help – that can be hard – and sometimes it feels like you don’t get a lot of help, so something like this is great.”
Almost all of them who showed up for the walk (more than 600) were clad in their bright blue T-shirts as they strolled from G.R. Saunders Elementary School down to Foord Street and back up to the school, to raise awareness about the cause.
Shaun Westhaver brought his family to support his nephew Ian Hotson, who is in his early teens and lives with autism.
“We’re here for him,” said Westhaven, who said he was proud and glad to see all the people who showed up to offer their support and share in a common bond.
“It brings the community together and shows people that they aren’t in this it alone,” he added.
“There’s lots of support here, and it’s really good for people to get together and have that camaraderie. It’s a really nice event.”
Watching what his nephew’s immediate family goes through makes Westhaver well aware of some of the challenges they face – some moments and some days aren’t the easiest.
“It can be a challenge for sure,” said Westhaver, who spent a decade working out west before returning home. Last year was his first time walking with the Autism Nova Scotia – Pictou County Chapter and he was impressed with the even bigger turnout this year.
“Your schedule is never really set until the person who has the autism sets it, basically. You can’t just make plans and expect ‘this is how it’s going to happen’.”
Westhaver and Bowser both said getting together for walks like this (and other events) gives people with autism a chance to feel more in touch with a broader community.
“It includes him into a bigger community than what he feels like sometimes,” Bowser said.
“He can feel quite isolated, so it’s nice to see there’s lot of other people and their families.”
