Healing and Happiness on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail
We invite you to read this incredible story from a grateful mom, written in August of 2020
Diagnosed with Autism at the age of two, this young man now lives in a group home. COVID protocols took a heavy toll, resulting in a series of emotional and medical complications. Once safe outdoor activities were able to resume, mom introduced her son to her bike. Sooner than she could have imagined, a cyclist was born.
Four miles on a bike! That is the longest - in time and distance - any joint activity has sustained the full attention of my young man.
Diagnosed with autism at two, the younger of my two boys is sweet and spirited, bright with a playful sense of humor. Non-verbal, his presence delights in unspeakable ways. Social emotional connections, however, do not come naturally, and acquisition of intellectual concepts and life skills requires of him and those involved much disciplined and arduous effort. Pain, be it physical or emotional, is frequently internalized until it weighs too heavy at which point things snap and behaviors recognized as dysfunctional, disruptive, or devastating in the world of neurological typicals (NTs) start to emerge.
COVID-19 hit him hard.
Visitation protocols at his group home separated us for three months. Emotional distress from the isolation manifested itself psychosomatically. 20+ lb weight loss and a number of medical visits later, he was admitted for in-patient care at Cayuga Medical. Between the compassionate care of the hospital and a rigorous regimen of medical, emotional, dietary, behavioral and environmental intervention post discharge - thanks to his support team at the group home - the smiles reemerged and the read on the scale started to inch up. And it did not stop there.
After a picnic in his backyard in July, I introduced the bike in my trunk to my young man, on a whim, to mix things up a bit for an otherwise routinized visit.
Within minutes, it became obvious that the balancing act came rather naturally and that gliding sensation brought him a noticeable sense of thrill.
My heart skipped beats and had to make some conscious efforts calming down the imagination.
A week or so later, a cyclist was born, on the waterfront trail. One minute of continuous pedaling grew into three, then five. It literally took my breath away – his quick mastery and my trying to keep up on my feet, under the scorching sun.
A second bike quickly because inevitable and we wasted no time. Our measuring unit also soon shifted from “minutes” to “miles.” One mile became two, and two doubled up to four miles in no time.
The waterfront parks continue to be our favorite. There, we get to experience varied surfaces - gravels, asphalt and grass (accidentally, ooops!), against a breathtaking backdrop. On any given ride, we might spot a boat or canoe here and there, catch a glimpse of an osprey or two, or enjoy a quick picnic while spying on a family of ducklings …
We feel truly lucky to live in such an idyllic area, rich in natural beauty and its healing power that continues to delight, nourish, and inspire, and has been made accessible by the hard work of generations of community leaders, landscape architects, and countless others involved in the inception, construction and upkeep of our area parks and trails.
