And the type of people that display that level of dedication?
Tend to be pretty awesome.
They're the type of people who would give you the shirt off their backs, or lend you a fishing rod when yours meets its tragic fate on the way to the lake.
They're also the type of people who come together to create a pretty epic surprise...
You see, back at the end of fall, Ryan and I met a very special young man on the boat ramp named Hunter. Full of youthful curiosity, Hunter began asking us all about our gear, and our rods, and what we were fishing for, and our kayaks - and we were more than happy to oblige. But as we began to interact with Hunter, one thing was very familiar, very quickly...because I have a niece and two nephews with the same traits.
Despite the vast amount of individual differences, when someone you love is on the autism spectrum - you recognize it almost immediately.
Shortly after we started talking with Hunter, his mother came over from her watchful perch to introduce herself. Sila went on to tell us how much Hunter loves fishing, especially because [as Hunter puts it] "the fish don't care that I'm different" - which couldn't be more true (that's why I love them so much too, Hunter)! We also ended up talking a lot about working in the [public safety] field (my former profession), because as it turns out, Sila Carr is a Denton County police officer, and her husband, Terry (aka "Bucky") Carr, is a McKinney firefighter/paramedic.
After we chatted with Hunter and his mom for a bit, I shared my information with her, and told her to check out a few social networking groups, so she could help Hunter find more spots to fish, especially come springtime.
Then a few days ago, Sila posted on one of those groups, looking for some guidance on getting her son his first kayak for his 15th birthday; and she also happened to mention "we had pleasure of meeting Kat at Lake Ray Roberts...she inspired him beyond words to reach out to new things..."
Two things happened the moment I read that post:
1. All the feels
2. The kayak anglers united
And one thing was absolutely certain...
Hunter was getting a kayak for his birthday.
The amount of people that answered the call, was nothing short of amazing.
In a matter of 3 days, with the help of my amazing kayak angling family, we managed to create an epic birthday surprise...
Grab a tissue...
