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NEWS
FEATURE
The Himsl family. From left, Daisy, Nick, Zechariah and Sandy. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
BUILDING A BIRTHDAY FOR ZECH
KALISPELL MOTHER’S REQUEST FOR CARDS AND LEGO PIECES FOR AUTISTIC SON’S BIRTHDAY GOES VIRAL
BY MOLLY PRIDDY
A
s soon as we’re born, we’re building. We build up resistances to germs, build our skills, and build our relationships. We also pile emotional bricks in response to the negative influences of the world: building walls around us, isolating ourselves from harm.
protective attitude as an older brother to his three younger sisters.
But being the parents of a child with autism also carries added emotional responsibility, Sandy said, because they feel all the emotions that seem to pass Zech by; she’s had her heart broken while overhearing other kids make fun of her son, and she’s felt the tight, sharp pain that comes with no one show- ing up to her son’s birthday party – the day when a kid is sup- posed to feel unique and celebrated – as if it were her own.
“We have unfortunately not had the best of luck with other people coming to his parties when we’ve invited them,” Sandy said last week in her south Kalispell living room.
Last year, Zech’s Aug. 18 birthday party was well attended by his family members, who made it a fun day full of water fights and frivolity, but none of his peers came. And when Nick lost his job before finding another, the family had to tighten its financial belt, and the specter of another poten- tially disappointing birthday started to weigh on the Himsls.
For 10-year-old Zechariah Himsl, the world can be a con- fusing place, despite the skills he’s garnered in his decade here. Zech – pronounced ‘Zack’ – was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old; socializing is difficult for him, his mom Sandy Himsl said, and he can be overwhelmed by his feelings.
And when he’s overcome, Zech falls back on the safety of building, whether it’s creating a town or a hammer with Legos or Kinex toys, or starting and nurturing a civilization in video games like Minecraft.
His parents, Sandy and Nick Himsl, support Zech’s affini- ties for these games and toys, and also appreciate his caring,
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JUNE 10, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM