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Drew Too many to count shared a letter in the
To the people we love group 2 years, 11 months ago Scary Moments = Teaching Moments
Drew ZuhoskyI know there are times in our lives and in our world where it appears that people are out to get us, even though we think we’ve done nothing wrong. We do everything right, or so it would appear, and yet we still get reamed for it– even though we don’t even so much as deserve to be criticized for it.
I also know that there are times when we are faced with scary moments, but it’s within those scary moments that we can learn something from ourselves.
16 years ago, I was in the eighth grade, just a few short weeks away from moving onto high school. It was on that day where I felt comfortable enough to disclose that I was autistic to my classmates for the first time in my life.
Although I had the full support of my teacher that day and although the students who knew me knew I was mainstreamed, it still scared the hell out of me to tell the story.
I started to explain the fact that I had autism and some of the kids didn’t understand what the hell it was that I had been talking about. There were puzzled looks on some students’ faces, and the teacher quickly said “He has autism.”
Even though the students who I had been mainstreamed with knew I had special needs, they didn’t really know that it was autism… and it was because I kept it in for longer than I should have… but happily, each time I tell someone that I have autism, it gets progressively easier and thus, less scary to tell.
Although the fear of telling someone that I have autism doesn’t completely go away (hopefully it keeps going away with time,) that spring afternoon in 2006 served as a moment of clarity for me.
The moments where we, as people, are fearful the most, can also serve as moments where we can learn valuable lessons, and it’s those teaching moments that help us grow as people.
Thus, the big takeaway from this letter is simple:
You are stronger than you may think. All it takes is a little bit of smarts, a fair amount of guts, and a great deal of support.
If you have all three of those qualities, you’ll be going places.
What scares the hell out of us can also make for our most valuable lessons.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and inspire somebody! Good luck!
Dear Drew,
Congratulations on being brave and strong. I am glad you were open with your peers. You sound like a special person. Your classmates are lucky to have you in their classroom. I am sure with your confidence and strength you will achieve great things. You are an inspiration to me and many people who lives you have touched.
Best of luck!
Shelley
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Drew, This is such a beautiful letter. No matter what our situation in life is, we all need to have courage at some point and share our true selves with the world. For me, telling people I was a sexual assault survivor was terrifying. I was someone who everyone thought had it all together – and for the most part i did. But this secret was eating me alive. When I shared it, I was just free to be me. For me, I don’t care too much about what people think or how they respond to my story any more. The most important thing is I am confidently able to live my life true to who I am and all that I am. I am proud of you. Clearly, you have been able to step into your own, and appreciate all the greatness that lies within who you are. You have so much to be proud of!
Everyone, feel free to support drew and also share about a time you found the courage to share your true self @jordanwalker @lostone89 @rainemeadows91 @duality444 @marybethparshallgmail-com @murky @jordan317 @ladylava33 @bandito @bedelman2aol-com @greendesert @rosemary22 @kenyata1
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Thanks, Mrs. Brill. Your daughter is a strong person, much like I am. You’ve got so much to be proud of her for. She’s Brill…iant. See what I did there?
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Drew,
Your letter was very powerful and courageous. I understand the struggle you must’ve had within yourself to reveal this knowledge to your classmates. Autism is something I take very sincerely as my nephew has Autism. I watch sometimes as young people at parties sometimes treat him differently and my heart breaks for him. As usual my advocacy steps in and I usually (with my brothers approval) speak to his friends about him. I love my nephew fiercely and I do everything humanly possible to see that people understand him and through that understanding treat him with the care and support he requires.
Your bravery to talk about your experiences is crucial. Often, it is hard to get the perspective from someone who has autism because they are fearful to share it. The courage you exhibited can be used as a blueprint for others who may read this letter. By writing it you exponentially help raise awareness for others who may be looking for a way to speak up. You may not know it right now, but some day someone, somewhere is going to read this letter, they might come think of you as their hero for these words.
I work everyday to help others who may not understand my nephew see beyond that word autism. You are so much more than that word Drew, you prove it every day. That is something that can never be taken from you. Someday that person who thinks of you as a hero may just be my nephew. Somebody already does, and that person is me. Thank you for sharing this letter with us.
-Roger
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Thank you for sharing that letter. I know how hard it is to share things about yourself that others may think are signs of a dysfunctional person, but you are a testament to the fact that, that simply is not the case. Get at it every day and do not be afraid. I have Cerebral Palsy and that simple lesson took me years to practice.
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