There are a few things that people think of when they think of Peter Pan. Whether it be his cheeky personality or the magic he spreads throughout Neverland, I am happy that I grew up with my own Peter Pan just down the hall.
My older brother, Trey, will be forever young as I like to put it. He has autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior. I know that those are a lot of big and complicated words so I’ll explain it the way my mother always explained it to me. Trey is special.
Trey is now 27 but has the mind of an 8-13 year-old depending on the situation. He loves making model airplanes and cars, anxiously waits for Santa to come with presents on Christmas, and has a passion for his job at Express Lube. Trey loves to attend the football and basketball games, not really to watch the games but to socialize.
My family is so lucky because some autistic kids do not speak, but with Trey, we have to tell him to stop talking sometimes. Trey is so very special and changes the lives of everyone around him. I cannot remember a time that we went out and Trey didn’t say hi to one person he knew or someone saying hi to Trey. One time a security guard at the Lafayette Mall said “Hey big man Trey! What’s up man?” and that was the day we all sat in awe.
When someone has autism, they see things in a completely different way. You see how things work, what they do, and what that certain noise is. Everything autistic kids see is three dimensional and all the “normal” kids see life on an old television with rabbit ears.
That is the cause behind some of the meltdowns these kids have they’re having everything come at them full force. I know I couldn’t live life like that. Little things such as getting up late for work sends Trey into a frenzy of tears and screams. Being late for work is the worst possible thing to happen because it messes with the routine.
Trey is special. He is a true gift from God given to bless my family. He keeps us laughing through the bad times. And we keep him laughing through his bad times. I am eternally grateful I get to have such an amazing man for a brother.
I feel like my entire life would be completely different if Trey didn’t have autism. He helped shape me into the woman I am today and I can’t help but thank him endlessly for that.