We are lucky to have access to camps, sports, and recreational opportunities in our area for children of all abilities. We just spent a couple days in Virginia Beach for Surfers Healing–which is one of the most amazing events I’ve ever witnessed. Hopefully you’ve seen them highlighted in the news. We first heard about the group years ago…

That was before we were also on the autism path. Then last year, parents from Thing 1’s class talked about their experience with the surf camp. I jumped online when the registration link went live and signed up Thing 1 for Surfers Healing. On the surface, it seems like a simple concept: an experienced surfer paddles out tandem with an autistic child to ride waves. Once you see these surfers in action, you are in awe of both their athletic strength and strength of heart. And all the volunteers…volunteers everywhere showing extraordinary patience, compassion, and enthusiasm.  It’s beautiful and poignant and such an awesome sight to see.

This year, we signed up both Things 1 and 2 to surf.

Since we don’t really take vacations, we treated these two nights at the beach like one. Then Murphy’s Law happened…anything that can go wrong, did go wrong. But I have to back up a few days to explain it all.

On Wednesday night, we checked on Thing 1 after he sneaked off quietly to bed to find projectile vomit all over his bedroom. We woke him up to clean and decontaminate, only to watch him puke all over the hallway. A few hours of carpet cleaning later, the house still stunk, but everyone was in bed and resting comfortably. Thursday morning, the sun was shining, birds chirping, and Thing 1 seemed happy with no signs of distress. Thing 2 woke up coughing. Great… But since the cough did not sound horrible, we gave him some cough syrup and hit the road.

We stopped at Busch Gardens and spent a few hours riding roller coasters before continuing on to Virginia Beach. The boys rode the log flume for the first time, but of course it turned into a Thomas & Friends reference…we were on Misty Island, with jumping Jobi logs, looking for Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand. It was a great day, the boys were well-behaved, and we enjoyed family fun time while Thing 3 stayed home with the grandparents.

We checked into our hotel Thursday evening, ate dinner, talked about how awesome the next day would be, and went to bed.

That night, Thing 2 woke up, coughing like crazy, gasping for air, and burning up.  We stood outside urgent care when they unlocked the doors Friday morning…except I didn’t have his insurance card, the receptionist would not accept my husband’s card with the same policy numbers, so I called our insurance company to fax a copy of Thing 2’s card before we could register. That removed the “urgent” from urgent care. Thing 2 felt miserable and made sure every staff member knew how upset he was by screaming and kicking and hacking all over them. A couple hours, one negative strep test, and one clear chest x-ray later, I was told it was viral, and we left with a steroid prescription and continued breathing treatments. No surfing for Thing 2. We returned to the hotel where he collapsed and took a nap.

Meanwhile, my husband took Thing 1 to the beach. Last year, Thing 1 was intrigued by the water and activity, but flipped out when it was his turn to surf. The life jacket went on, and he lost it. This year he was cool as a cucumber. Life vest went on and he jumped on the surfboard without hesitation. With Thing 2 sleeping on the sofa and my husband sending me pictures and video, I cried a little. I was so proud of him and bummed to miss it.

There Thing 1 goes…

After napping and meds, Thing 2’s fever broke, and he kept asking to “go to the water.” We ate dinner on the boardwalk and let Thing 2 put his feet in the water.

Except he did not stop with his feet and jumped into the ocean with his clothes on. Typical.

Thing 1 and I walked to the end of the pier and saw a fisherman hook a shark. That was a little disturbing, but Thing 1 was not phased.

Surfers Healing Virginia Beach is a two-day camp serving over 400 participants. Felt like a long shot, but I contacted them and asked if Thing 2 could return the next day if he remained fever-free. The response was only one word: “Absolutely.” Thing 2 slept well that night, his cough was not oppressive, and his fever did not return. Saturday morning, we were back at the beach! Like Thing 1 last year, Thing 2 was not a fan of the life jacket. He started crying, but a volunteer scooped him into his arms and carried him to the surfboard. No time for hesitation. I’m grateful for the patience of that volunteer and the surfer–because it took Thing 2 a few minutes to relax. He loves the water, but being around strangers and trying something new was terrifying. Once he got his bearings, the rest was magic.

From there, we headed home via the Jamestown Ferry. It’s funny…take the boys to the beach for two days, and it’s just okay. Put your car on a boat and cross the water, and they are amazed. Needless to say, the Ferry was the piece de resistance.

My cell phone rang on the way home. It was the urgent care nurse we saw on Friday. A radiologist and another doctor reviewed Thing 2’s chest x-ray, and it was not so clear after all. He has pneumonia. I don’t think I will win a parenting award letting my pneumonia-infected 5-year-old surf and frolic around the Tidewater, but I guess it was worth it for one perfect day of aloha therapy.