April 5, 2013 – Our March CAM is Ethan Hunt. His story is very motivating, and his dedication has helped him overcome some difficult odds. It’s hard to describe in words how much this guy brightens our day when he steps into our lobby. He has one the most positive attitudes I have ever encountered, and it is very contagious. I only knew bits and pieces of his background story when our staff all voted him as our CAM, so I asked his Mom to share some details of his story. She shared the following:
When you look up the word “dedication” in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be surprised if you observed Ethan’s picture next to the meaning of this exquisite truth. In 2004 I was advised by a developmental pediatrician that Ethan was on the Autism spectrum.I was told he would never speak, never have a relationship with anyone, would never look me in the eyes, never ride a bike and would never receive my affection. Obviously, as any mother woul d be, I was devastated. After the initial shock passed, I made a promise to Ethan that we would not let any disability take over our lives, and vowed we would battle it with everything we had. And we did! Over 3,000 hours of intense therapy and with steadfast work and dedication, today he is a vivacious and animated young man.Today he is 10 years old and does not meet for any type of disability. He has shocked the doctors with the way he was able to heal through determination, diligence and effort. He never hesitates to articulate how much he loves me on a daily basis. He is wise beyond his years. He loves to talk to people. He knows NO strangers! He is extremely affectionate. Like any 10 year old boy, he loves to ride his bike. Ethan is being classically educated through Classical Conversations and is at the top of his class. What I am most proud of is how he trains diligently with the most encouraging and compassionate trainers at D1 Birmingham. His favorite quote before he runs out on the turf is, “I’m going to do something awesome today, I feel it!” When his body wants to give up; he absolutely won’t allow it to happen. He is determined to be a better person inside and out. He realizes that commitment and hard work beats talent. Ethan wants to inspire people by his journey. No matter what cards you’re handed in life, you can strive to be better. Ethan has beaten the odds, and proved the doctors wrong. He wants tomotivate people and live a healthy lifestyle by conditioning at D1. It has truly changed his life to be a part of this spectacular facility. I have never met such an astonishing and invigoratingperson, like Ethan. He is one of a kind and I’m delighted he is mine. I can only hope that one day I can be half the person he is. No great achiever – even those who made it seem easy – ever succeeded without hard work.
