Here is the email that was sent to the local radio station from a mother of an autistic child. It's lovely.
Greetings Bret,

My name is Rebecca Bevirt. I have a miracle story about my son Jeremy. He is autistic, bi-polar, ADHD, with learning disabilities and physical disabilities as well. He attends Centaurus High School. He is graduating this year.

This past weekend he was elected Prom King. Prom was held at the Denver Aquarium. This is just incredible. I mean how many mainstream high school seniors elect an autistic kid Prom King? amazing. Jeremy had several 'autistic' moments during prom and had to work really hard to get thru them (including his shock, panic and running off the dance floor when he heard he had to do the first dance with the Prom Queen :-). But he did made it thru Prom with the help of his friends, one of his soccer coaches, and me.

When his name was announced as Prom King, the kids in the room just roared Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy. He wouldn't put the crown on but held it up. A friend of his thru Girls Soccer, Sami, was crowned Queen. She really was 'there' for him during Prom when he was having his autistic moments. This is just such a moment in a life. If you only knew (perhaps you have an idea) just how far he's come to reach a point like this or that it was even possible, how hard it was to actually be there at Prom (just leaving in the limo was a huge leap for him and he was not happy), how hard he has worked, and how much he has been supported...it is just amazing.

This is just such a cool thing. This shows that there are small communities around that will pull kids thru. These kids who voted him as Prom King did not do this because my son is one of the 'cool' kids, or they were asked to do so because it's National Autism Month, or that it's PC to do so. They did it because they accept him within the school setting despite his differences. They are such an example.

When Jeremy first went to Centaurus, he joined the soccer team as an equipment manager. He can't play due to physical limitations. At first there were some hesitations and it took great patience to work with him. But he has matured over the years and has a few soccer coaches who just took him under their wing. The soccer boys and girls also did the same. His first friends were the Latinos ... then it gradually expanded to include other kids. One of Jeremy's favorite soccer quotes is “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." this could not be truer than the entire team of Centaurus High.

It would be wonderful to recognize these kids, coaches and teachers in our own community. If everyone could learn from them, what a gift it would be to all the autistic kids in this country. It is really hard being a parent of an autistic child, as you might know, even in this part of the country, the resources seem slim, budgets are low, kids taunt and tease, we as parents have to be super uber advocates for everything from babysitting to medical to school,....and I am so grateful to the 'team'....they will and have made a difference in one Autistic person's life.Where Jeremy ends up, who knows...but he knows that this has been a most special experience...and that this community of people has been there for him...in a really special way.

Rebecca Bevir