VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Nicole Miller's son Alex is affected with Autism. He's 13 years old. Standing on 4th street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the sight of Saturday's Surfer's Healing 5k and Lil Surfer 1 miler, she thinks back on their journey. The starting line a far cry, a stark contrast, a lonelier world to where they are now.
"When we were first going on this journey it was dark," says Miller the current sun beaming down on the boardwalk, illuminating surfers as they search for waves.
"We lost friends," she recalls.
Come Saturday, 4th through 26th street will fill with runners, and friends, racing to raise money that will pay for a free 2 day surf camp for kids with Autism. The friends she lost replaced by those who understand.
Back then, "Life was hard,' she says. Now she calls the race "One perfect day"
"There was a lot of biting, communicating with behaviors," Miller remembers the family's early struggles.
She says a lot of individuals with autism have sensory aversions, being out on the water can help process those connections. "We have friends who aren't verbal and come out of camp talking away."
The biggest 13 year difference for Nicole's family, however, the true contrast, lies in the people.
"We had to find out what we could do for Alex, we wanted to wrap a community around him and that's what has given us the ability to thrive. Wanted to know other families going through the same things and to not be alone, because being alone is the worst
thing. It's really given us the ability to have what we call our autism ohana, what we call our autism family."
Money raised from the races on Saturday give more than 400 others the opportunity to find their Autism Ohana.