Scottie shines a spotlight on autism
by Barbara
A little bit of celebrity spotlight has been shining down on the Gaither household this month. Scottie has been interviewed by not one, not two but THREE local TV stations. and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, our local newspaper did a story on Scottie, too.
Scottie was not sure about all the hoopla. I can tell you, he definitely did NOT like putting on his “fancy” clothes for all these interviews. But as soon as he saw himself on the big screen — well, not exactly the BIG screen — but big enough for him, he was totally intrigued.
The night of the first broadcast we had to be at a PTA meeting for his sister Carly. That didn’t give us enough time to get home to watch TV, then back across town to her school. Answer: we went to a local favorite restaurant of ours. It just happens to have a TV in the back dining room!
Scottie could hardly eat for being so excited to see himself on TV. As is typical for stories like this one, they saved it for the end of the broadcast. In my mind they were saving the best for last. Others may say it was not as big of a news story as the latest local arrest or the weather trends in our state! By the time it was finally on, I thought Scottie was going to explode with excitement. The piece was great and he felt like quite the star. All the people dining in the backroom were aware that they were in the midst of a “celebrity” by the time the newscast was over.
Needless to say, it was a proud and happy moment for us all.
A couple days later the article and beautiful pictures came out in the paper. Scottie can hardly believe he is getting so much attention — he just sees himself as such an ordinary kid. But thanks to Easter Seals and all the wonderful people that have impacted his life, his accomplishments are far from ordinary.
See a video about our family and how Easter Seals has made a difference in our lives.