Just a Few of the Events Not to Miss!
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T HE PAPER ')+!
August 8, 2012
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Local mother shares son’s story of autism to raise funds for service dog New program utilizes Internet, social networking to help raise funds for families.
by Danielle Swan In early June, a new website, WeCare Card, went live with a group of 10 campaigns as part of it’s pilot launch. The purpose of the website is to give friends, family and the public a secure and simple way to donate funds to a person or family with a specific need. One hundred percent of those funds are then made available to the recipient via check or direct deposit. While selecting 10 campaigns for the pilot launch, Stephanie Bekel, chief administrative executive, thought of an eight-year-old autistic boy, Tyler, and his mother, Jen Wells of Urbana. “Jen was my hairdresser and we always talked about Tyler,” Bekel said. “She was always talking about the therapies that she wished she could get him into, and so when this started, my first thought was ‘I wonder if she would be interested in taking part in this program because I would love to see him get the therapies that he needs.” Tyler was born on his due date, Oct. 28, 2003, as a 6 pound 14 ounce healthy baby boy. There were no complications. For months, he thrived –
learning new things and growing. He made all of his milestones until 18 months old, when he suddenly reverted to an earlier stage and seemed locked in time. “When he developed autism, he was back to an infant,” Wells said. “He lost all eye contact and any vocabulary that he had learned.” At that point, Tyler also began developing repetitive, uncontrollable actions called “stems.” Tyler’s stems included flapping his arms, waving his fingers in front of his face, loud bursts of noise and some rocking. He also became prone to fits, or “meltdowns,” which could last anywhere from a few minutes to hours. Tyler’s pediatrician was 99.9 percent sure that Tyler was suffering from autism, but Wells was unsatisfied with that diagnosis. “I just went above everything and took him to Riley and they did diagnose him with normal autism spectrum,” she said. Tyler’s autism is considered within the “moderate” category. Over the coming years, Wells would try every type of treatment and therapy she could get her hands on. She tried speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, different diets and even horse therapy. She enrolled Tyler in WabashMiami Area Program at age two, which he still attends. Wells
says that Tyler’s current vocabulary is comparable to a twoyear-old. “He makes progress all the time with his speech. He learns new things every day. It’s very slow progress, but any progress is good progress. But also, with that progress, as he is getting older, he is developing new challenges that we have to overcome,” she said. The most prominent and concerning challenge at this point is Tyler’s wandering. Due to Tyler’s lack of fear, he is prone to dangerous situations. “Wherever we’re at – at the lake, in stores – it’s a problem. He darts out of stores into parking lots; he
doesn’t have any concept of traffic. I reach down to get a can of green beans at the store and I stand up and he is three aisles over.” Tyler’s tendency to wander exceeds any mother’s ability to be vigilant, and the danger is compounded by the fact that he appears to be a normal eight-year-old boy. Most drivers would assume that an eight-year-old child would stop before running in front of their car. Most people would not see any reason to assist or report an eight-year-old unattended out for a walk. “It scares me because he has no fear (continued on page 6)
Downtown merchants participate in Takin’ it to the Streets Sidewalk Sale by Danielle Swan On Aug. 3 and 4, Downtown Wabash saw a little more hustle and bustle than usual with the first annual Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Wabash Marketplace, Inc. The sale was held in conjunction with First Fridays and several other local events. Shoppers had an eclectic mix of merchandise to browse through as nearly every Downtown business participated. There were secondhand stores, Thriftalicious and
Stinson’s Trading Post; jewelry stores, Myers & Son and Precious Gems & Metals; clothing stores, Ellen’s – A Dress to Impress and The Francis Shoppe; novelty stores, Make it Your Own Pottery and The D Shoppe; and several others, such as TAS Motorsports, Crow’s Nest Antique Mall, Borders & Beyond and Dorothy – Ilene. New businesses as well as those who have become fixtures in the Downtown district all participated to make the event a
Index Classifieds ......................32-35 D&E ....................................13
JEN WELLS AND HER SON, TYLER, were recently selected by Stephanie Bekel, WeCare Card Chief Administrative Executive, as one of the card’s inaugural recipients. Funds raised through the card will be used to purchase an Autism service dog. (photo provided)
Weekly Reports ..............23-25
success. Many merchants offered discounts of up to 75
percent. The featured artists at Artistica
CUSTOMERS AND VENDORS lined the streets of downtown Wabash during the Takin’ It to the Streets Sidewalk Sale on Aug. 3 and 4. The event was sponsored by Wabash Marketplace Inc. (photo by Danielle Swan)
In Memoriam Diana Bittinger, 59 Melba Custer, 65 Julie Harris, 45 Rose Harris, 101 Sandy Hile, 72
Gallery, Marilyn Kruger of Akron and (continued on page 6)
June Hileman, 80 Robert Huff, 81 Irene Fitzpatrick, 90 Kacy Meyer, 42
Vol. 35, No. 21
Louise Sroufe, 87 Brevonia Strickler Rosalind Thorn, 99 Helen Tucker, 103
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326