Extraordinary Story of a Father and His Autistic Son

Source: AOL Time Warner

Boys Autism May Have Saved the Both of Them

Christopher was laughing as the father and son were pulled farther and farther from Ponce Inlet, Florida. As the pair lunged for buoys — and missed — Christopher couldn’t help but giggle. It was this spirit that helped ground Marino, the father said.

“It was a big entertainment roller coaster for him, that’s what got me through it — because he wasn’t freaking out,” said Marino, 46. But after four hours at sea without a life vest, and after it became obvious that rescue operations had ceased for the night, jellyfish began to sting the pair. That began to “freak Christopher out,” his father said.

While Christopher is almost nonverbal in his communication, he and his father use catch phases from Disney movies, which the boy loves, to communicate. After four hours, the currents picked up, and Christopher began to drift from his father’s reach. Because of the darkness, they couldn’t see each other. So Marino shouted out part of a phrase to his son. “To infinity,” Marino shouted, referencing one of Christopher’s favorite lines from the movie “Toy Story.” “And beyond,” Christopher shouted back, pumping his fist in the air like movie character Buzz Lightyear.

The call and response went on for a while, with Marino choosing different phrases and Christopher yelling back. But over the course of an hour, Christopher’s voice faded until his father couldn’t hear him anymore.

“That’s when I resigned myself to the fact that he was gone,” Marino told CNN, saying he believed his son had been pulled under the water.

At the time, Marino said, he thought about giving up, until he thought of his daughter Angela. She had just registered for ballroom dance classes, and he told himself over and over he would live to see her dance. “I just kept thinking about her and how I was not going to leave her without a brother and her father in the same day — not on my watch,” he told CNN. “It was the visual of her that kept me going.”

Marino used other tricks to keep his mind focused in the 81-degree water. He remembered going to the Ponce Inlet museum, which highlighted a lighthouse. He then set out to use the lighthouse as a guide for himself, so he would know how far he was from shore. He alternated doing the “doggie paddle” and floating on his back with his ears in the water, the way his son loved to. He would float on his back and watch the bright stars. He wished on four shooting stars that flew by and used constellations in the sky to know what direction to go if he drifted away.

Under the stars and in the dark Atlantic, he turned to his spirituality, realizing his life was in God’s hands. A religious medal rested on his chest.

As morning turned, Marino tried to stay alert for sounds that might mean help was near. Hearing a boat motor, he waved frantically. Soon, a group of fishermen pulled him aboard their boat. A flash of light from the medallion had caught the eye of one of the anglers, who shouted at his brother at the helm to stop the boat, one of Marino’s rescuers told him.

The first thing Marino asked was if the men had heard anything about his son, but they hadn’t.
Marino began to grieve. It had been nearly eight hours since he had last seen his son, and he believed he was gone for good. He wept.

When the U.S. Coast Guard arrived, Marino asked them, too, about Christopher, but they said they had not found him. The Coast Guard crew asked if he wanted to go to the hospital, but he decided to stay on the boat so the search for Christopher wouldn’t be disrupted. But Marino chose not to watch the water as the search went on. “I chose to be down below, because I didn’t want to see them pull up on Christopher being face-down in the water,” he said. So the Coast Guard vessel steamed on. After more than an hour, the boat went full throttle, jolting Marino backward in his space below deck.

Suddenly, the boat was idling, and Marino was asked to come topside. “That was my personal green mile,” Marino told CNN, a reference to what some people call the walk on death row from the cell to the execution chamber. “I took three steps up the green mile to the back of the deck, and they pointed to the helicopter and they said, ‘You see that helicopter? It has your son on it, and he is fine,’ ” Marino recalled a crew member saying. Marino was so excited he began “kissing all the Coast Guard guys.”

The father and son were reunited at the emergency room at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where they were treated for dehydration. “We were both very weak, tired and thirsty,” Marino said. “But I reached out and held his hand and could tell from the same sparkle in his eye that he was going to be fine.”

While Christopher can’t truly communicate what he felt during those hours alone at sea, his father hopes that one day, he will be able to tell him what he felt alone in the Atlantic. The one thing Marino knows is that his son still loves the water and that the experience hasn’t taken away that special comfort from him.

“It may be a while before we go back to a beach,” Marino said. “But he still loves the water. He’s already gotten back in a pool.”

So Sad to Learn of Tony Snow’s Death

Tony Snow had been battling cancer for some time with strength and courage. Well he finally lost his battle early this morning when he died at just 53 years of age.

I was a big fan of Tony’s when I discovered him on Fox News Sunday. No doubt he was a great father and will be sorely missed by his family. Our condolences go out to them.

Marine Watches Birth of His Baby from Iraq

“Hi, I’m your daddy,” Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Cintron informed his newborn son, Michael James.

Sitting in Iraq 6,000 miles from Brooklyn, Cpl. Cintron got to watch his newborn son being born. Aside from the awesome technology involved in allowing this event to happen, thanks go out to a nonprofit organization called Freedom Calls. They’ve been working hard to help soldiers stay connected with their loved ones regardless of the distance separating them. No doubt this new father is thrilled to have “been there” during this special moment in life.

The baby weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and the new dad weighed in with a proud : “Look! He’s looking at me!”

We thank you for your service Cpl. Cintron and welcome you to fatherhood!

Fathers Day Thoughts

- A special shout out to you dads who aren’t going to be at home with your families. Whether you’re in Iraq, Afghanistan, on travel, or stuck in a hospital, etc…. I hope you’re able to connect with your loved ones by phone, email, or in some way on this special day called Fathers Day.

- For those of you who aren’t friendly with, or close to your dads, and have grown apart, Fathers Day is a great opportunity to reach out, as awkward as it can be, and tell your dad you still love them. Most of us dads are far from perfect, and in some cases we can be downright jerks. But, you’re only issued one dad in life, and your dad is the best dad you’ve ever had! I wouldn’t recommend waiting for dad to break the ice because we dads are a stubborn and stupid bunch of fellas.

- My dad died a long time ago when he was just 60 years old. At the time he had one grandkid who was just one year old. He’d have a dozen or so if he were alive today. To think about all he’s missed is heartbreaking. If only he had quit smoking he may be here today enjoying life as a proud grandfather. Take care of your health dads! If not for yourself, then for your families and future grandkids that need you!

- Finally, for those of you who knew Tim Russert you were undoubtedly shocked to learn of his sudden death yesterday. He was 58 years old and in his prime as a journalist. More then a journalist, he was a man who loved his parents, loved his kids, and loved the things that shaped his life, like the Buffalo Bills and other sports teams he grew up admiring. He wrote some “dad books” in recent years that we could all learn a few valuable lessons from. A couple of his great books…

My dad got me hooked on watching the Sunday morning political talk shows when I was 18 years old and I’ve watched them ever since. Tim and Meet the Press was one show that I’d never miss and one of only two Sunday morning shows I tivo. There will be a lot of watery eyes tomorrow morning and Sunday morning won’t be the same without him. My heart goes out to the Russert family.

California Pinheads Trample on Parent’s Rights in Homeschooling case

I’m stunned by the news that a CA appeals court has ruled that parents are not allowed to educate their own children unless they are credentialed educators. Over 160,000 children in CA are taught at home and this ruling means that these children must start going to a public school or private school with teachers that have credentials.

The case will be appealed and I’m hopeful less radical judges will rule to give parents rights that are as inalienable as the rights we all have as Americans. When did we Americans lose our right to raise our kids? When did teachers unions get the right to take our children against our will and indoctrinate them?

We parents must draw the line now before the “village” pushes us aside completely. If the arrogant pinheads ever get control of our healthcare system they’ll use that as an excuse to begin controlling what we feed our children, what they wear, how they groom themselves, and more. They’ve already made it their business to pass along their version of sex education. When is enough enough!?

For more details check out the article in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Homeschoolers’ setback sends shock waves through the state

Some relevant links:

Homeschool.com - great info and links for homeschoolers

Homeschool Legal Defense Fund - Hopefully they’ll be their standing up against the facist’s trying to wrestle our parenting rights away.

Typical Homeschooling Mom

Sean Taylor will be Missed

As a lifelong Redskins fan my heart is very heavy today as I learn that Sean Taylor passed away early this morning from a gunshot wound he received during a robbery at his home near Miami.

Sean was just 24 years old and was just starting out on his journey as a dad with his 1 year old daughter Jackie. His coaches and teammates commented on how much his life had changed since becoming a father.

Here’s what Clinton Portis had to say:

Redskins teammate Clinton Portis also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. He had sensed a new maturity in his close friend.

“It’s hard to expect a man to grow up overnight,” Portis said. “But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child.”

We’ll miss you Sean Taylor!

Thank You World from the Virginia Tech Hokies

Like most people I was very shaken when the VA Tech shootings occurred not long ago. We Virginians listened to it unfold on our radio stations and local news stations as we heard the grim details roll on like a never ending nightmare. It was yet another senseless act committed by a soulless lunatic against our young.

Equally as moving was watching the news and learning about the love pouring out of every corner of the world to the students, lost and living, their families and the entire Hokie community.

VA Tech students wanted to say thanks to everyone around the world so they formed a giant human “VT THANKS YOU” and a satellite captured it on the photograph above. Very cool.

On a side note - When I added the post with photographs from the early 1900’s  to the site earlier today I had no idea the event at VA Tech was to occur. Strange coincidence…. That story is here: Mole and Thomas classic photographs now in our ‘Cool‘ category.

There’s a website you can visit for more information and photographs here: http://www.hokiesthanktheworld.org.

Go Hokies!

David