atschool By: Bailey Hemphill
Young Heroes proudly sponsored by:
Young Hero: Johnny Gunn Jo h n n y G
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hen a doctor told Tina Gunn that her son, Johnny, might have autism at two, she refused to accept that he was autistic. “I said ‘We’re not going there,’ and they dropped it for a while,” she explains. But eventually, when Johnny was seven, he was diagnosed with autism. Today, Johnny is 12, and his mom considers him to be a young hero. At first, school was really hard for Johnny. He was non-verbal until he was six, he struggled trying to make friends, he didn’t know how to act in social settings, he’d throw up whenever he got anxious, and he’d spend recess walking around the perimeter of the playground. Unfortunately, Johnny’s school was unable to meet his needs, so Tina thought it was a good time to change school districts. The Gunns settled in the Gretna school district where Johnny received his own paraprofessional to help him with frustrating subjects. The counselors also helped Johnny get into a “circle of friends.” The circle meets twice a month to get advice from the counselor on how to help Johnny, and they also take turns playing with him at recess and sitting with him at lunch and at assemblies. As soon as Johnny joined the circle, the anxiety at school stopped. Tina believes Johnny is a hero for many reasons. She says after the difficult deck of cards he’s been dealt—not being able to speak,
struggling in school, anxiety attacks—he stays strong, caring, and compassionate, and he has a positive outlook on life. “When you’re given struggles, you don’t stop. You learn to deal with them,” says Tina, which is why she thinks Johnny has such a great sense of humor. “He’s funny. He can make other people laugh. I look at him and know that, if he can do it day to day, then I can do it.” Johnny has a special passion for helping animals, especially cats. “He believes everyone should have a cat,” Tina laughs. He also has a nine-year-old sister, Sophie, who the Gunns adopted from Korea. Tina says Sophie doesn’t always understand why Johnny can’t do certain things, but she does a really good job of trying to educate others about her brother. Johnny and his family went to New York in August to meet his favorite author, Nick Bruel, who writes the Bad Kitty series, all thanks to the SPECTRUM Make-a-Wish Foundation.
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Family Spectrum and Omaha Storm Chasers would like to honor your Young Hero. Send nominations to Bailey@OmahaPublications.com.
• readonlinenow.com October 2011 • • • •
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atschool • 19